


Solace

by idlephantasms



Category: IZONE (Band)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-04
Updated: 2020-05-08
Packaged: 2020-06-07 18:25:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 112,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19474807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idlephantasms/pseuds/idlephantasms
Summary: Two former lovers reunite in a quiet island, seeking to heal their worn-out souls. However, peace may not be the only thing they find along the way.Cross-posted on AFF





	1. Chapter 1

“You really don’t have to do this, you know.”

Two women were standing at a port in Incheon. 

The smell of salt water permeated the air, and along with the sound of waves slapping against concrete were a collection of voices from the various people going about the pier. It was the period between seasons when spring was slowly transitioning into summer, but the breeze was still cool. Most of the people were still covered in layers of clothes, save for the brave ones who challenged the weather with just thin shirts and no coats.

A small ship was loading passengers in front of them, the crowd a mix of Korean and foreign people. A man’s voice speaking through speakers across the port was announcing the ferry was now available for boarding.

The woman with her luggage at her feet turned around to face her friend, sporting a glare at the older girl.

“Yena-unnie, not you too,” she said in disdain. “You’re the last person I want to tell me what to do.”

The other woman held her hands up. “I’m just saying, Minju. You have no knowledge of wherever you’re going, and you even left your card with me just so your parents won’t be able to find you.” 

The younger girl raised an eyebrow at her and crossed her arms. She clearly didn't get what the older girl was fussing about.

“And?”

Yena almost slapped a palm to her face. “You’re going to a place you’ve never been to before! Without money! Without anyone you know! How are you so sure nothing bad will happen to you there?!”

Minju just laughs at this.

“I’ll be fine, unnie! You of all people should know that.”

Yena looked at the younger girl with an exasperated face. She knew how Minju was, she worked with the younger girl ever since she landed a job in their news agency as soon as she graduated. She was the most hard-headed person she knew, her beautiful innocent face be damned. If Minju wanted something to happen, she would stubbornly push through everything to realize it. Even if she had to risk all she has and make a trip to hell for it.

That’s what got them into this situation in the first place.

Yena heaved a sigh in defeat. 

“Fine, fine. But if anything happens, I want you to call me straight away. You got my number on that new phone, right?” Yena nodded her head to the direction of the phone in Minju’s hand.

“Of course, unnie,” Minju smiled and waved the phone. “Your number’s the only contact here.”

Yena doesn’t know if she should be happy about that. The determination of this girl to just _disappear_ from everyone, including her parents, would have scared her if she wasn’t worried first.

“Good, good. Once I get that call from you, I’m taking the first boat to the island.”

Minju gave her a chuckle. It was nice to know that there was still at least one person in the world that’s got her back, even when she’s leaving her behind.

It was selfish of her to do this, but she knew she needed this. She would probably lose her sanity if she isn’t able to get away from the city.

The man in the port’s public announcement system spoke again, this time alerting passengers that their ferry was about to leave. Just then, a small breeze blew through the port, which made Minju shiver and snuggle more into her coat. She thought her get-up of a cardigan, a shirt, and some jeans all topped by a coat would be enough to shield the weird weather and keep her warm.

Minju retracted her suitcase’s handle and adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She gave Yena one last look.

“Guess I’ll be going, unnie.”

Yena looked at her with a scrunched up face, with her lips that pouted to its utmost extent (Yena looks like a duck when she pouts. She was rather famous for this trait of hers among their colleagues). It reminded Minju of a whining child, and if she didn’t know Yena she would definitely think her co-worker was younger than her. She was pretty childish for her age, but in times like this, she definitely shows her maturity.

Yena walked up to Minju and gave her a tight hug that lasted for a few seconds. She patted her unnie’s back a few times to help alleviate some of her worry. Yena pulled back and looked at Minju hard.

“You be safe out there, okay? Again, call me when you need anything. If I ever hear something bad I swear I’m gonna—”

“Yes, _mother_ ,” Minju replied with a roll of her eyes.

She smiled inwardly at the thought that Yena acted more like a mom to her, in all the times they were together, than her real mother.

She shook away the thought. This wasn’t the time to think about her parents.

The boat behind her blew its horn, signalling that it was about to depart.

“I’ll see you whenever, unnie.”

“Have a safe trip, Minju.”

She gave Yena one last wave of her hand to bid her farewell. She turned around and took her first steps toward the ferry, pulling her suitcase behind her.

Her first steps away from all the tiring things.

Her first steps to picking herself back up.

  


\---

  


Deokjeokdo.

It’s an island quite the distance off the mainland’s west coast, and is known as one of South Korea’s most tranquil places. Getting to the island takes a little bit over an hour from Incheon’s port by a ferry service. 

As soon as Minju saw “peaceful, quiet island away from the bustling city” from the travel blog she was reading after looking up places to get away to, she was sold. She immediately planned her trip and booked a ticket to the island as soon as she phoned Yena about her plan (who was shocked beyond her wits and scolded her in that childish manner of hers through her phone’s speaker). Yena tried to reason with her, but when she made up her mind, there wasn’t anyone who could stop her. 

She didn’t bother telling her parents about her decision to suddenly have a trip away from Seoul. She didn’t even want to do anything with them.

_Not after everything she’s been through._

And so she packed as much as she could, buying a new phone with Yena’s number as the only contact registered. She asked the older girl if it was okay to leave her credit card with her so she wouldn’t be able to leave a trace, and to this Yena gave her another earful.

It wasn’t like Yena to scold her anyway, she was a pretty docile person. But she guessed everything that she was doing was enough to make her serious and actually get angry. It was completely understandable, because if she herself was still thinking straight she would probably call herself insane as well.

(And maybe she did deserve the wild “you dumbass!” Yena flung at her in one of their phone calls.)

But Yena, kind Yena, agreed to her whims nonetheless. She even offered to drive Minju all the way to Incheon. Minju profusely declined at first, saying that her unnie was doing so much already, but Yena was equally as stubborn as her and insisted. Minju was able to do nothing but accept.

(“Besides,” Yena had said. “It’s the last thing I can do before you disappear to god knows where.”)

The drive to Incheon was relatively quiet. She could tell Yena was still mad at her, because it was the first time the older girl didn’t speak for a lengthy amount of time. Choi Yena was never quiet. She would talk in every chance she gets, sometimes making trips to their boss’s office as a result. But this Yena was quiet, too quiet.

They didn’t speak to each other until they left the car and stood by the dock.

When Yena opened her mouth Minju was expecting another scolding, but instead she heard a question, her voice laced with worry. At that moment, she knew Yena wasn’t mad anymore, she was just concerned.

She reassured her companion that she will be fine, and to not worry. After one last goodbye, she went and boarded her ship.

And off Kim Minju went, to a place unknown.

Unfortunately, the tides were stronger than they expected, much to the dismay of some passengers, including her. Minju had never been as seasick as this before, and what was supposed to be just an hour trip became much longer. She was basically staggering when the ship finally reached Deokjeokdo’s terminal dock, and it took her a great amount of willpower to not throw up on the port. 

She wouldn’t want to get detained by authorities for polluting the place, as she didn’t have enough money to bail herself out.

She spots a convenience store nearby, and decided to rest there for a while and grab some food to eat before she proceeds to her lodging. She pulled her luggage behind her and started walking towards it. As soon as she reached one of the tables outside, she slumped on a chair and leaned back. The fatigue from her trip suddenly came crashing down on her, which made her head throb even more than it was supposed to. She closed her eyes for a moment and relaxed into the chair, steadying her breathing. 

_Grumble._

Minju heard her stomach emit a low growl. She needed food.

She reluctantly leaned away from her chair and slowly stood up again. She went inside the convenience store to grab a lunchbox and some kimbap, opting for a light meal. 

When she was by the counter about to pay, she noticed the alcohol section of the store, particularly the fridge where several beer bottles were lined up. She eyed them for a while, pushing down her urge to grab a few of them.

The better part of her rationalized that she can’t get herself drunk barely five minutes after getting on the island, plus she didn’t have enough money to spend on alcohol anyway.

“Ma’am?” the cashier called out to her.

_Fuck it._

Minju stepped away from the counter and grabbed six cans of beer, went back and placed them for scanning. The cashier gave her a look of confusion, but began to scan the beer and went to heat her food anyway. Minju paid for her items and went back to her table outside the store, immediately opening the pack of kimbap and popping a piece into her mouth.

She opened a can and was about to chug when she noticed the sky. It was a mesh of blue, orange, and white hues, signalling dusk. She looked at the setting sun in the distance, casting a warm glow over the stretch of the beach. 

Has the sunset always looked like this? It was beautiful, with a special kind of appeal to her. When was the last time she enjoyed something as simple as a sunset? It’s been so long already, she realized. Maybe because sunsets over gray structures towering over everything else wasn’t really a sight to see.

But she remembers there were days that the sun setting on a horizon of concrete weren’t that bad, especially with the right company.

It felt like such a long time ago, though.

She raised the beer in her hand towards it, as if offering a toast to the distant star. Then, she proceeded to gulp the beer down her throat as if there was no tomorrow.

As she continued to drink, her fatigue was replaced by a great sense of comfort, a feeling that she hasn’t gotten in a long time.

It was Minju’s first evening on the island, and she spends it by drinking her sorrows away.

  


\---

  


A few high school boys were walking along the beach near the ferry terminal, looking at the new batch of tourists coming onto the island. It was after school hours, and they were searching for something fun to do since they didn’t want to go home yet. Being in this backwater town always gave them such a monotonous way of life, and they were always finding new ways to give it some excitement. Maybe messing with a few of the tourists would be fun, but they wouldn’t want to risk getting caught by the cops nearby the terminal.

One of them suggested to grab some refreshments at the nearby convenience store, and all of them agreed. They then proceeded towards it, but a few feet away from the store they saw a woman slumped on one of the outdoor tables, cans of beer all around her. The boys looked at each other and decided to check the woman out. Upon closer inspection, they noticed that the woman, a tourist, was passed out drunk. Her face was still flush red, her hand loosely holding on an empty can. Then, they eyed her bag and suitcase.

One of them snickered mischievously and started glancing at another with a glint in his eyes. His friend gave him a smirk and crouched down to where the woman’s bag was dangling. The others proceeded to hide him by standing against him, blocking him from any onlookers. He raised his hands and took off the flap that was guarding the bag’s zipper. He held the metal zipper and was about to pull it down when—

“Hey!”

All boys suddenly froze in place. They looked at the source of the voice, which sounded like it came from the store’s entrance, and saw a woman with orange hair.

They recognized who the woman was, and immediately worried for their lives.

“D-D-Doctor!” they said in unison.

The woman gave the boys a look that was neutral but menacing at the same time. She spoke to them again.

“I’m giving you ten seconds to step away from that lady, or else…”

She nodded towards the police’s small post by the ferry terminal. A collective gulp was heard coming from the group.

“Ten…”

The boys immediately ran away, tripping over each other in the process. She stared at their retreating backs for a while, and turned her head towards the drunk lady still passed out on the table. She approached her, and took a look at her face which was half hidden by an arm.

She widened her eyes in recognition.

“Doctor, should I call the police for that lady?” the cashier stepped out from the counter to ask her.

“...No need,” the woman replied.

She stared at the sleeping woman’s face for another second too long.

“Let me take care of her myself.”

  


\---

  


Minju had a dream.

Her dream was weird; it kept jumping from one scene to another. One moment she was floating while looking at the sinking sun, its orange and blue hues more intense than the usual. Then suddenly the scene changed and she was lying down, looking at green blobs that seemed to speed by while she was stationary.

She tried not to think much of it and just observe. Dreams didn't make much sense in the first place, anyway.

Though she wondered why there was something constant in a universe so surreal, and was the only prominent thing even when she was taken from one place to another.

Mint. 

The scent of mint filled her nose the whole time she was dreaming.

But again, she didn't take it too seriously. 

She was so, so comfortable anyway. Might as well just enjoy however her dream plays out.

She closed her eyes again and enjoyed this peaceful feeling.

  


\---

  


She opened her eyes.

Minju looked up at a pale gray ceiling with a square light panel in the middle of it. It wasn’t familiar to her, no, she thinks she has never seen it before. She spends a few more seconds reorienting herself and decided to sit up.

That was the best sleep she had in a while. Her body feels completely well-rested.

Except for the impending doom she was about to face. 

“Ugh…”

A huge pain suddenly attacked her head which made her bring a palm to it, closing her eyes as an attempt to weaken the pain. She wondered what could possibly cause her such misery, and began to backtrack on what happened to her.

She remembers getting off of the boat, completely tired and sick.

She remembers going to a nearby convenience store, bought food and beer (against her better judgement).

She remembers downing several cans, even occasionally going back inside the store to buy herself a fresh batch of the bitter alcohol. 

She remembers drinking non-stop until finally, she passed out.

What she doesn’t remember was how she ended up here in this unfamiliar place.

_Wait, don’t tell me…_

She gulped.

_...Kidnapped?!_

Despite her throbbing head, she started to think on who could possibly have ill intentions against her for a kidnapping. 

Maybe one of her parents hired someone to take her somewhere? No no, nobody knew she was here besides Yena. Besides, as far as they were concerned, Minju was considered as the black sheep of their family, so she really wasn’t worth much.

Maybe some psychopath abducted her and is planning to sell her chopped-up body parts to the black market? She’s been hearing stories from her colleagues at the news agency how they were following serial killings where identified body parts from missing people were found in remote areas. The island is known to be pretty remote, so is she going to be a victim of this?

This was when she noticed she was on a soft bed, instead of a cold slaughter table.

...Yena has been making her watch too many horror movies recently.

Whatever the reason is, she still believes that she was kidnapped. For what reason however, she doesn’t know.

She looked around the room and noticed that her luggage was on the floor beside the bed. On the nightstand beside her was a small white dish with a pill on it, which she recognized as a painkiller, and a glass of water beside it.

Whoever was her kidnapper, they treated her quite nicely.

Minju popped the pill inside her mouth and drank the water. She waited for a few minutes until she finally felt the drug kicking in. She began to climb down the bed and slipped her feet on the slippers that were set beside her luggage. She then began walking towards the door, out the room.

She saw a staircase ahead and walked to it, slowly descending it. She stopped when she saw a woman’s figure standing in the kitchen, her back turned towards Minju. She had hair dyed of orange and pink hues that fell halfway to her back, wearing a blue hoodie that looked like it was twice her size. Just looking at the stranger’s back, a sense of familiarity overcame Minju. It felt like she knew this person, but she couldn’t quite place it.

The stranger in the kitchen turned her head slightly sideways as she was busy preparing something in the kitchen. This gave Minju a view of her side profile, and her eyes immediately widened as she recognized who the woman was.

She called out to the woman, her voice small, her body shaking.

“C-Chaewon-unnie…?”

The woman’s hands suddenly stopped moving, and completely turned her head towards the one who called her. Her brown eyes then connected with that of Minju’s.

Minju couldn’t believe what she was seeing. All this time she thought her kidnapper was some big burly hairy man who whisked her away to an unknown place ready to do horrible things to her, but what she didn’t expect was that it was…

Her ex-girlfriend.

_Her ex-girlfriend who she has not seen nor heard of for five years._

And now she was suddenly in front of her.

“Yo,” the other woman replied.

Minju didn’t know whether to laugh or cry right now.

For some reason, an ugly man seemed more preferable as her kidnapper than her ex.

She continued her way down the stairs, on unsure steps. The sight of her ex in a kitchen of an unknown house (or rather, huge mansion, now that she noticed) was enough to keep her guard up. Chaewon now turned her attention back to what she was doing in the kitchen, as if ignoring the fact that Minju was there.

There was an awkward silence that enveloped the whole place, and Minju couldn’t stand it. The only sounds filling up the space were from whatever Chaewon was doing in the kitchen.

She walked up to the kitchen island and stood by it, directly facing Chaewon’s back. She was eyeing the other woman on the other side of the island warily. Chaewon then turned around and placed a mug on the island, and then facing the kitchen counter again after. Minju noticed the mug was filled with steaming coffee. Regarding Chaewon for a second and thinking the coffee was for her, she brought the mug to her lips. She was about to take a sip when Chaewon’s hand, half-covered by her hoodie’s sleeves, held hers in place, preventing her from doing so. She looked at the other girl questioningly, but Chaewon’s face was unreadable. 

Without saying anything, Chaewon raised her other hand and slowly took the mug of coffee from Minju. 

“This...” Chaewon raised the mug to her face and waved it a little. “...is mine.”

“And this…” she started again, turning around towards the kitchen counter. She took a second mug from it and turned towards Minju again. She handed the mug in her hands towards the younger girl. “...is yours.”

Minju looked down at the mug the older girl was giving her. She saw small marshmallows floating on top of brown, thick liquid. Her eyes widened when she recognized what it was.

It was a cup of hot chocolate, with marshmallows.

The older girl still remembered that she preferred hot choco over coffee. Five years was a long time, after all.

But she hid her surprise.

“T-Thanks…” she said as she took the cup from Chaewon.

Chaewon nodded silently and turned her back again, cleaning up the mess on the kitchen. Minju took a sip from her mug, successfully this time.

The drink was _just right_. Not too sweet, not too bitter. Just the way she likes it.

A flash of memory suddenly passed; of lazy mornings, of soft blankets hiding even softer smiles, of a messy kitchen that resulted into two cups of hot drinks.

She chased the thought away.

That was a memory she would rather forget.

She turned her attention to the girl in front of her. First things first, she needs to interrogate her kidnapper. And kill this suffocating atmosphere.

She cleared her throat. 

“Chaewon-unnie…”

Chaewon stopped what she was doing and turned to Minju for the third time that day. She was done with her chore, and now she walked closer to the counter to pick up her coffee.

Chaewon glanced at Minju, an eyebrow raised. Minju decided to continue.

“What is this place, where is it? We’re still in Deokjeokdo, right?” she asked in rapid fire succession.

“And why are you here?” she asked her final question, although more tentatively.

Chaewon shifted her line of view from Minju towards her front. She took a sip of her coffee before answering Minju’s queries.

“A friend owns this villa, it’s located further inland. Yes, we’re still in Deokjeokdo. I’m here because I’m on vacation,” she answered promptly.

Minju wasn’t quite satisfied with the older girl’s short answers, but she didn’t want to push it. They haven’t seen each other for five years, so asking her a bunch of questions wouldn’t help the situation at all.

Besides, she’s not here to conduct an interrogation. That part of her life has ended when she got fired from the news agency.

But one last question.

“Why am _I_ here?”

Chaewon took another sip from her coffee.

“I saw you passed out at the convenience store near the docks. The cashier didn’t want to hand you over to the police since it looked like you were alone, so she asked me to take you here.”

That was slightly a better answer than the short ones she gave earlier.

She noticed Chaewon downing her coffee and put it in the sink. The older girl faced Minju and this time, she was the one who asked a question.

“Do you have somewhere to be?”

Minju stopped drinking (enjoying) her hot chocolate suddenly.

Come to think of it, she _did_ have somewhere to be. She was supposed to go to the inn where her accommodations would be, and judging from the light outside the villa (is that a swimming pool outside the living room?), it was a new day; meaning she was literally passed out the whole night.

She _knew_ it was a bad idea to drink her heart out yesterday.

She slapped a palm on her forehead.

“I was supposed to go to the inn yesterday… Damn,” she muttered.

Chaewon made a sound of affirmation, but to Minju it sounded like she was making fun of her predicament.

At least, if the older girl was still how she was all those years ago. 

She let it slide.

“Let me drive you to the inn then,” she heard the older girl say.

_What?_

She almost spit her drink.

Minju looked at Chaewon incredulously.

“Excuse me?” 

Chaewon didn’t answer her, opting to look at Minju from head to toe. “Go wash up. Let’s meet back here in half an hour.” 

It’s when Minju saw that she was still in yesterday’s clothes. There was a stain on her shirt that looked like it came from the beer she was drinking yesterday.

She suddenly grew very conscious of Chaewon’s presence.

“O-Okay,” Minju meekly said to Chaewon with a nod and almost ran back up the stairs.

She missed the small smile on the supposed kidnapper’s lips as she went back to her room.

  


\---

  


Minju found the situation she was currently in as strange. 

She couldn’t stop the (tidal) wave of memories that came with seeing the older girl again, so instead of trying to stop it, she indulged in them in her own secret way, despite the bittersweet feeling she gets. Just like now.

As a teenager, Minju had always daydreamed of going on rides with her lover. They would have intertwined fingers above the gear stick, with her on the passenger seat and her lover driving. When Chaewon became her girlfriend, she started daydreaming of Chaewon driving with her riding shotgun.

She remembers getting their licenses together, and going on a little tteokbokki date to celebrate.

But they broke up before they even got into a single drive.

She never thought her teenage fantasies would come true, however. Not in the way she planned, at least.

Minju looked at Chaewon from the passenger seat. The orange-haired girl changed into a dress shirt and ripped jeans, and is now focused on driving. Seeing her face better now, it’s almost as if the older girl didn’t age at all. She looked exactly the same as she did when they dated, save for the change of hair color.

(Minju remembers that people around Chaewon used to call her “angel”, and supposedly angels don’t age. Maybe Chaewon really is one.)

When they met up in the kitchen after Minju had a much-needed shower and a refreshing change of clothes, Chaewon led her to a car parked in the villa’s driveway. It was an impressive red Ford pickup truck, one she didn’t take for Chaewon to own. She was right.

(“Is this yours?” she had asked. “No,” came the short reply.)

The drive had been awfully quiet ever since it started. Minju wasn’t used to silence when in the company of other people. She got used to the hectic atmosphere in her previous work place, as well as Yena’s talkative mouth. Now, being with someone who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her, she couldn’t find the courage to speak up.

She remembers Chaewon as a naturally quiet person, opting to just watch a conversation instead of participating in it. But when she gets comfortable with the people around her, she could be loud as much as she wanted to.

Minju experienced that first-hand, a long time ago.

Mustering up her courage, she decided to start the inevitable conversation she was supposed to have with the older girl.

“So…” she prompted.

Chaewon kept silent, her eyes on the road.

“How long have you been staying here?” Minju asked.

A second of silence went by.

“About two months now,” Chaewon answered.

Minju raised an eyebrow at this.

“Aren’t you a doctor? Is it okay for you to leave work for such a long time?”

Chaewon kept quiet for a while.

“The hospital doesn’t mind,” came her reply.

Minju didn’t want to prod, since she just met the older girl again after years.

The drive was silent again, only the sound of the engine was heard around them. Not even the radio was turned on.

Chaewon suddenly spoke.

“I’m surprised you know I pulled through with medicine.”

Minju turned to look at the older girl.

_How could she not know?_

When news of how a Seoul National University student topped the country’s physician licensure examination reached her, it was all she wanted to read about for days. When press photos for the oathtaking of new doctors were released, there she saw Chaewon for the first time after breaking up. 

Minju saw the photo of Chaewon in a black and green toga, her right palm raised and her eyes downward as she was reading the oath with a microphone in front of her, and she had never been prouder.

They may not have ended things in a good way but she really, truly wished the best for her.

Minju’s eyes softened at the memory. She turned away from Chaewon and chose to look out the window from her side of the car instead.

“I work for the news, after all,” she answered. _At least, used to._

“Hm,” Chaewon said as a reply. “I guess you do.”

What the older girl said caused Minju to whip her head towards her again, her eyes widened at what she just heard.

_Wait, what? Did she keep tabs on me too?_

Before Minju could ask, Chaewon pulled up in front of a traditional house. She unlocked the door and got out, Minju following her.

The inn was one of the more famous accomodations in the island, with a prime location of a view of the beach and short distances between it and places of interest. Minju managed to book a room despite it being always busy for tourists, and she particularly chose this instead of the hotel because it was cheap and it had a homey ambiance.

They stepped inside the inn and got to the receiving area. Chaewon motioned for Minju to go to the front desk to ask for her room, and she followed behind.

Minju cleared her throat.

“Excuse me…”

The lady on the front desk looked up at her from what she typing on the computer.

“Yes, may I help you?” the lady asked with a smile.

“Uh, is the room reserved for Kim Minju available? I’m here to check in.”

The lady typed in her computer the information she was given. Suddenly her eyebrows creased and she slowly looked up at Minju in confusion.

“Are you Miss Kim Minju who was supposed to check in yesterday?” the lady questioned.

“Yes?”

“Ma’am, I’m sorry to say but your room isn't available anymore.”

Minju’s widened her eyes at what she said.

“I’m sorry?”

The lady gave her a worried look before proceeding with what she was about to say. 

“You weren’t able to arrive for the allotted time for checking in yesterday, and it’s our policy to give up reservations if occupants don’t arrive. I’m truly sorry, ma’am.”

It felt like Minju’s world stopped. She began to regret all her choices that led up to this point in time. More specifically, why did she even think of drinking yesterday? If she didn’t get herself drunk right off the bat then none of this would have happened.

She put her elbows on top of the desk and covered her face with both hands. She let out a deep sigh and let her shoulders slump, an indication that she was sulking.

“Oh no…” Minju groaned out.

Chaewon watched all of this happen and frowned. She stepped up from behind Minju and spoke.

“So you’re saying she can’t have her room back?” she asked.

The lady looked up and Chaewon, her eyebrows raising up at the sight of her.

“Doctor Kim! I didn’t expect you to be here!” she exclaimed.

Minju brought her face up and turned to look at the exchange between the two women, a questioning look on her face.

Chaewon flashed a courteous smile at the front desk lady and nodded her head towards Minju, who was still slumped against the desk.

“She’s a friend, I’m just here to help her out. Is there really nothing we can do about it?”

_Friend?_

As far as Minju was concerned, she just met the older girl again this morning, and they were definitely not friends.

Well, whatever. Seeing as Chaewon is known in the inn, if she could help to get her room back, she’d gladly be her friend.

The lady bit her lip as she looked at the doctor as if in thought. She was about to say something when the arrival of another woman cut her off.

“Oh, Doctor Kim! It’s so nice to see you!”

All three women turned their heads towards the source of the voice. The lady on the front desk suddenly stood up and put both of her hands in front of her.

“Madame Go! Good morning!” she said as she gave the owner of the inn a bow.

Chaewon and Minju followed suit.

“Good morning, Madame Go,” Chaewon greeted as she bowed.

“What brings you here today, doctor?” the middle-aged woman asked Chaewon as she scanned the sight in front of her. 

“My friend here was just having a problem with her reservation for a room that she was supposed to claim yesterday. It looks like she can’t get it back,” Chaewon explained.

Madame Go slowly nodded her head in comprehension. She then creased her forehead and spoke.

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry to say this doctor, and to your friend as well,” she said as she pointedly looked at Minju. “But I’m afraid that’s how it is here. It’s a policy, you see. It’d be unfair to guests who would want to stay here as well.” 

Chaewon nodded. “Ah, well that’s a shame.”

Minju looked at Chaewon dejectedly. 

“Is there really nothing we can do?”

Madame Go contemplated for a bit until she spoke further. 

“I may be able to arrange something, though. But that would cause moving some guests to other rooms…”

Minju was surprised to hear this and was filled with hope for finally having a place to stay. She was about to reply to the owner of the inn until Chaewon went to shoot the idea down.

“No, no please. That would be too much trouble. And you said so yourself, you wouldn’t want to inconvenience your guests. Thank you anyway.”

Madame Go frowned at what Chaewon said, while Minju was downright scowling at the orange-haired girl. Why would Chaewon reject a place to stay that was supposed to be _hers_ anyway? More importantly, was it even her business to reject it?

“Where would your friend stay then?” came Madame Go’s question.

Chaewon looked at Minju and spoke.

“She’ll stay with me.”

Minju’s jaw dropped as her eyebrows raised themselves.

“ _What?_ ”

Chaewon ignored Minju and turned her attention back to Madame Go.

“I already asked permission from the Kwons. The villa has too many rooms for just one person, anyway.”

Madame Go nodded at what Chaewon said.

“Well, if the Kwons said so, then I guess it’s fine.”

Chaewon smiled at the landlady again and gave her another bow.

“It’s settled, then. Thank you again. I’ll see you around, Madame Go.”

Chaewon was about to go outside the inn, leaving a jaw-slacked Minju, when she heard the madame call out to her.

“Wait, Doctor, before I forget! I have something for you.”

Chaewon looked at the older woman questioningly, and so did Minju.

“Yes? What is it, ma’am?”

“The makgeolli that Feathers ordered are finally done! Will it be okay for you to send it to them if it’s not too much trouble?” the madame asked her with her eyebrows together.

“Of course it’s no trouble!” Chaewon replied. “No trouble at all. Luckily I have the truck with me, so you can put them at the back,” she said as she pointed a thumb behind her.

The madame smiled enthusiastically. “Great, then! I’ll send over some guys to put them there.” 

Madame Go turned around and called some male workers present. “Hey! Grab the boxes of makgeolli and load them onto the doctor’s truck! Come on, we haven’t all day!”

The four ladies in the receiving area watched a string of men carrying boxes of bottles with white liquid inside rush out the door. Afterwards, Madame Go grabbed a bottle from a nearby fridge and handed it over to Chaewon, who took it with a raised eyebrow.

“Please take it, Doctor. A token of appreciation for everything you’ve done for us so far,” the madame said as she gave it to the younger woman.

“Please, I keep telling you that it’s no trouble at all,” Chaewon said, but did not refuse the bottle of the white drink. “Thank you for this as well. We’ll drink it heartily.”

Madame Go grinned at her. “Well, we’ll not keep you any longer. Take care, doctor!”

Chaewon gave her another bow and walked away to exit, a fumbling Minju quickly following after. When the men were finally done loading crates of makgeolli onto the truck, Chaewon said thanks and entered the car. She started the engine as Minju climbed onto the passenger seat beside her. 

The younger girl turned toward Chaewon, face full of irritation.

“What was that?” she asked with a scowl.

“What was what?” the doctor asked as she put on her seatbelt and put the car in reverse.

“You took away the place I’m supposed to stay in! I was supposed to get my room back!” Minju was borderline screaming at Chaewon, who still donned a straight face as she drove the car into the road besides the inn.

“And risk getting angry people up in your face every morning? You should save yourself from all that trouble,” Chaewon replied as she focused on the road.

The amount of apathy shown by the older girl irked Minju more. She couldn’t believe Chaewon did that to her, just because _she_ wasn’t the one who has problems on where to stay tonight.

She took a deep breath, and did her best to keep herself calm.

_Inhale, exhale._

“Then where do you think am I supposed to stay now?” she asked again, the glare in her eyes not dissipating.

Chaewon just kept on driving, completely unbothered. “I told you already, didn’t I? You’re staying at the villa.”

Minju scoffed. “Yeah, because some _Kwons_ allowed you to let random people stay at _their_ property. Who exactly are they, anyway?”

Chaewon kept silent as she took a left turn. She spoke up again.

“You remember Eunbi-unnie?”

Minju was taken aback by the name she immediately recognized.

Kwon Eunbi. Charismatic woman, daughter of a chaebol family that run pharmaceuticals. Chaewon explained back then that she was friends with the older girl ever since they were children. The people around them described their friendship as “sisters from different mothers.”

Minju’s memories of the older girl mostly consisted of Eunbi putting Chaewon in a headlock every time they meet. When Chaewon first introduced them to each other, Eunbi was already a freshman in medical school.

The realization came to Minju instantly. 

“Eunbi-unnie owns the villa you’re staying at?” she asked, eyes threatening to come out of their sockets.

Chaewon gave a small smile. “No, it belongs to her cousin, Jiyong. But he stays in France now, so he gave the house to unnie as a gift. The woman doesn’t know what to do with it since she’s in Seoul, so she just lets me use it and told me not to worry about the bill.”

Minju couldn’t help but be amazed at how people born in the higher echelons of society lived their lives. What kind of normal human doesn’t worry about bills?

“She even told me that if I had friends over, they could stay in the villa for as long as they want to,” Chaewon continued. “Apparently the house hasn’t been used for years ever since she got it.”

Chaewon glanced at Minju, eyes still wide.

“Is that enough explanation for you?”

Minju tore her gaze away from the older girl and looked ahead, still feeling disgruntled.

“...Fine.”

She saw Chaewon widen her smile a bit from the corner of her eye.

“Let’s go grab something to eat.”

  


\---

  


Chaewon pulled the car up to a small space for parking behind an establishment. As they both got out of the car, Minju saw the place where they arrived. 

_Feathers Bistro_ , a sign by the building’s external wall read.

When the pair got inside, Minju noticed how the tables were filled with different groups of foreigners and locals alike. Typical restaurant music was filling the space that the establishment stood in, the sounds of the waves against the shore accompanying it. She noticed that the beach was directly in front of the bistro, giving its patrons a fantastic view while enjoying good food and company.

“This place is one of the most popular places to eat in this island,” Chaewon started explaining about the place as they sat down at one of the available tables. “It’s a bistro by nature, but it doubles as a family restaurant, so it’s kid-friendly.”

Minju can definitely see why it was popular; it was a weekday and not even the lunchtime rush yet, but the place was almost packed.

“Welcome to Feathers!”

Just then a woman came up to their table, wearing a white dress shirt and some slacks. She was holding a notepad in her hands, ready to take their order.

“Oh, Chaewon-unnie!” the woman said as she noticed Minju’s companion directly sitting across her.

Chaewon looked up to the waitress and grinned immediately.

“Hiichan!”

Chaewon stood up and enveloped the girl named Hiichan in a tight hug, to which the other girl returned enthusiastically.

Minju couldn’t hide the surprise on her face as she saw how Chaewon was with the stranger. If she didn’t know any better, she would think she could see fondness in the orange-headed doctor’s eyes as she looked at the girl in her arms. Unfortunately, she did. 

Minju frowned.

Chaewon pulled away and faced Hiichan, the smile on her face never disappearing. 

“Why are you out here serving people? Did you get bored with the numbers you were with in the office?” Minju heard Chaewon ask the other girl.

“Yeah, well,” the girl started. “One of our servers bailed out on us last minute, he said he had to take care of something back home. I had to fill in.”

Minju heard how the girl’s Korean was accented. She must be Japanese, also considering how her name wasn’t something a local Korean will have.

Chaewon’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. “Well, don’t push yourself too hard. Ah, the makgeolli you ordered is here, they’re at the back of the truck.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll send some guys to grab it then. But first,” the girl said as she flipped her notepad to a blank page and clicked her pen open. “Orders?”

That’s when Chaewon remembered that she was actually sharing the table with someone else. She looked at Minju across from her with eyes wide as if she was caught red-handed doing some felony. 

Minju tried not to show it, but she was definitely not impressed.

“Ah right! I almost forgot,” Chaewon immediately quipped. 

_Yeah, right,_ Minju almost scoffed. _What does she mean “almost”...?_

“Hiichan, I’d like you to meet Kim Minju,” Chaewon introduced Minju to their waitress with a gesture of her hand. “She’s a friend of mine.”

The cute looking lady gave Minju a toothy grin, puffing up cheeks that looked too soft than what was normal, eyes turning into crescents.

“Hello, Miss Minju. I’m Honda Hitomi, but you can call me Hiichan,” the lady gave out her hand for a shake, and Minju stood up to take it with a slight bow.

“Ah, hello Hiichan, nice to meet you. Please, just Minju.”

“Okay, Minju, Chaewon-unnie. May I take your orders?” Hitomi said as she pulled out her pen and pad again.

“I’ll have the usual,” Chaewon answered without taking a single glance at her menu. Minju thought the older girl must always be here.

Hitomi wrote Chaewon’s order on her pad and turned to Minju.

“And yours?”

“I, uh… um...”

Minju quickly scanned the menu in front of her, completely confused on what she’d want.

Hitomi gave her a warm smile. “If you’re having trouble on what to choose, may I suggest our house special? Chaewon-unnie’s quite a fan of it.”

Minju’s glanced up at both of them, and she saw Chaewon looking up at Hitomi with a face like she was violated, as if she exposed a secret of hers that only the two of them were supposed to know.

She wondered how close the two were for the other girl to be able to call Chaewon “unnie”.

She also wondered if she still has the right to call Chaewon that, too.

But she called her “unnie” earlier this morning, and the older girl seemed fine with it.

Though one can never tell with Kim Chaewon. Even when they were dating, she was always closed-off. But Minju used to be able to read her well, all those years ago.

She’s not sure now as she was then, however.

“Uh, okay. I’ll have that then,” Minju finally answered Hitomi.

“Okay, two lunch specials for table ten. Got it,” Hitomi repeated what she had written on her notepad for clarification. She then grabbed the menu from both of them and flashed them a smile. “Please wait a while for your orders!”

They both thanked Hitomi, and the cute girl was about to walk to the kitchen to relay their orders when something came to her suddenly.

“Ah, unnie, before I forget. It’s ramen night tonight, and Yuri’s singing.”

Chaewon gave Hitomi another grin. “The evening’s planned, then.”

Hitomi gave Chaewon a small salute with with her index and middle fingers.

“Counting on ya!”

  


\---

  


After a lunch that was more than satisfying, the two of them returned to the villa. Minju was on the verge of a food coma; she never thought she was _that_ hungry until she was devouring a huge bowl of bibimbap and seolleongtang like there was no tomorrow.

She didn’t even mind if Chaewon saw her eating like a savage; her stomach must be satiated.

(Though Minju couldn’t help but think if her eyes were playing tricks on her when she caught a glimpse of Chaewon’s soft eyes laid on her, from behind her bowl of soup as she was drinking from it. Nope, must be just her.)

She did remember the older doctor telling her to slow down when eating, though.

Minju was about to reach for her wallet to pay for her share of the meal, when she saw the receipt already in Chaewon’s hands. She just then handed an amount of money to Chaewon, who just regarded her hand with a stoic face before speaking.

“No need.”

“But—!”

Chaewon just turned her back and started walking back to the car.

Minju heaved a sigh and put back the money in her wallet.

_Rich doctors and their need to flex their money_.

The drive back was even more silent, her eyes were heavy and she barely made it back to the house without sleeping in the car. She didn’t bother talking to Chaewon, she just didn’t have that much energy anymore. Chaewon didn’t seem to mind anyway.

“Minju.”

Minju heard Chaewon call out to her as she was half-way up the stairs to go back to her room to pass out, probably until evening. She turned towards the older girl with a questioning look on her face.

“Do you have any plans for dinner?” Chaewon asked.

Minju pondered for a while. _Did_ she have plans for dinner? To be honest, she was completely winging everything she was doing up until this point, and she figured the same when it came to how she would get her meals for the whole duration of her stay.

But if she relied on food from outside too much, she knows she’ll be wringing her expenses dry immediately.

So no, Kim Minju did not have plans for dinner.

“Feathers is having a promo on their ramen tonight, so I was wondering if you wanted to eat there again for dinner,” she heard Chaewon explain. Minju frowned at the doctor.

Minju needed to think this thoroughly.

“Free extra noodles,” Chaewon added.

Minju did not need to think this thoroughly.

“Okay,” she answered almost immediately. “But please let me pay for myself this time.”

Chaewon kept her stoic face, but Minju didn’t miss the glint in her eyes when she gave her answer.

_She might as well have just laughed_ , she thought.

“Let’s meet here in the kitchen again before seven, then.”

  


\---

  


Feathers was packed that night.

It looked like the whole island was there; the bistro’s staff had to set-up additional tables and chairs outside the main place and set it on the sand just to accommodate the amount of people that turned up for the ramen promo. It was seven in the evening, just the start of the dinner rush, but Minju couldn’t believe how there was just so much people seen in what was supposed to be otherwise a quiet island.

She guessed ramen night in Deokjeokdo’s most famous place to eat was definitely something.

Plus it was a Friday. It was just _too_ much of a coincidence.

Minju looked back at the conversation she had with Chaewon a while prior.

_“Happy hour_ and _ramen night? Whoever is in charge of Feathers’ marketing needs a raise,” Minju had told Chaewon as they were on their way to the bistro, back in the red Ford truck._

_“What do you mean?” Chaewon asked as she drove, her signature poker face still on._

_“People are gonna get dead drunk, and they’ll be needing hangover soup right after. Why not get it at the same place, right? And it’s ramen, too, not the usual bland soup. With free extra noodles,” Minju didn’t forget to emphasize the extra noodles part._

_Chaewon just gave her a small smile in amusement._

_(That was enough for her.)_

_Minju had to ask about the ramen, though._

_“Is the ramen really that amazing?”_

_Chaewon pulled the car over at her designated parking spot over at Feathers’ lot, and turned to Minju._

_“You’ll see soon enough.”_

Luckily Hitomi reserved a table for them already, just in front of the stage where mini-concerts inside the bistro were held. Minju noticed that there were colored lights around it and saw a band tuning their instruments. A staff member was checking the microphone and speakers if they were working right, all the while asking the band if they needed anything else.

A waiter guided Chaewon and Minju through the packed interior to their table, and as soon as they sat down the waiter pulled up a pen and notepad.

“Orders?” he asked.

“Chef’s specialty for tonight, please. For both of us,” Chaewon answered him with ease.

The waiter nodded as he scribbled what the doctor said and scurried away to the kitchen.

Minju took a sip of the water available to her and turned her head towards the stage.

“There’s a live tonight?”

Chaewon turned her own head to the stage.

“Yeah, the bistro’s main singer is on,” the orange-head replied.

Minju remembered the chalkboard sign beside the bistro’s entrance. It read, in streaks of pink, orange and white, _Live Tonight! Jo Yuri_.

She turned to Chaewon. “Is she any good?”

Chaewon was about to reply when everybody around them suddenly burst in applause for the woman who walked onto the stage.

“Hello, good evening everyone!” the lady on stage greeted, and Minju couldn’t help but notice the accent in her speech. Probably someone from Busan? All the way out here?

“I’m Jo Yuri, and I’m here to entertain everyone’s dinner for tonight. As much as I like the ramen being served here,” chuckles were heard throughout the place. “I like singing even more. More like, I love it.”

A collective “aww” was heard from every patron, even the ones that were already tipsy.

“So, let me sing to my heart’s content while you eat to ‘till your stomachs are full!”

Cheers filled the whole establishment, and if Minju heard right, she could hear the patrons outside cheering as well.

“Here’s the first song for tonight!” Yuri then announced.

The singer glanced at the drummer from behind her, and he tapped the hi-hat three times before the music began.

As soon as Yuri started singing, Minju couldn’t help but be mesmerized by how beautiful the girl’s voice was. It felt like honey on her ears, and she almost couldn’t believe that she was hearing someone sing this good, live. She thought it was a blessing.

“She’s good,” Minju told Chaewon without leaving her eyes away from Yuri’s performance. “ _Really_ good.”

A few seconds passed and Minju’s watching was cut off by their food arriving. It was two bowls of steaming ramen, seemingly freshly-prepared. She had never seen a bowl of ramen looking this good.

“Let’s eat then,” she heard Chaewon say. 

They both said thanks for their food and began to dig in. As soon as a spoonful of broth reached into Minju’s mouth, her eyes widened in utter surprise.

It was the best bowl of ramen that she had ever tasted. Not even the things she used to eat back in Seoul could hold a candle to what she was having now.

She had always thought that in order to eat the most amazing ramen, she would have to travel all the way to Japan to taste the real thing. What she never expected, however, was the she didn’t have to go to Japan, but in a nearby island only.

“What is this ramen? It tastes so amazing,” Minju asked as she rolled her noodles into her spoon with her chopsticks, and inhaling said noodle-full spoon into her mouth.

“Hakata ramen,” Chaewon answered as she slurped noodles from her bowl as well. She swallowed her food and took a drink from her water. “Otherwise known as tonkotsu ramen. People like it better than the other variants, because it’s more based on the taste pork gives.”

Ah, so that’s why the taste appealed to her more. Minju likes pork.

Minju learned a whole new side of ramen that she had never encountered before.

And she’s also glad Chaewon is talking to her.

Thank goodness for ramen.

Just then, Hitomi dropped by their table and pulled a chair to sit by them.

“How’s everything so far?” she asked.

Chaewon made a satisfied face while chewing on a piece of her pork slice, raising a thumb up to Hitomi.

The cute girl laughed.

“I’m glad you’re liking it, unnie.” She then turned to Minju who was in the middle of slurping her noodles. “How about you, Minju?”

She hastily slurped all of her noodles into her mouth and nodded her head hard, making sounds of affirmation as she did.

Hitomi’s cheeks puffed up as she grinned at the two. 

Chaewon cleared her throat just then and looked at Hitomi to say something.

“My compliments to the chef, as always.”

Hitomi winked at her. Chaewon shot finger guns back.

_They really must be close, huh,_ Minju thought.

Minju couldn’t help but ask Hitomi a question she was meaning to pose ever since she met the other girl.

“Hiichan, I’ve been meaning to ask, but are you the manager of Feathers?” she said as she wiped her mouth with tissue.

“Hm…” Hitomi seemed to ponder on her answer for a while before finally speaking. “I guess you could say that.”

Something tells Minju there’s more to it than that, but she decided not to pry.

She might get banned from eating delicious ramen forever if she did.

Minju then followed Hitomi’s gaze to Yuri, who was now on a break enjoying her own bowl of ramen.

“She’s amazing, isn’t she?” she heard the girl say.

Chaewon then turned to look at Yuri too.

Minju answered. “Yes, she is.”

“Did you know she’s from Busan?” Hitomi asked.

“Yeah, I figured as much, when she spoke earlier. How in the world did she end up all the way here?”

“I’ve been thinking the same thing for quite some time now, too. Also, don’t you think she’s way too good to just sing here?”

Minju could see that. Yuri was clearly a professional, from the way she controls her voice to her overall showmanship. If she _was_ a pro, then why was she in Deokjeokdo when she could have her own career back in Seoul?

“Why _is_ she here?” she heard Chaewon ask.

“I don’t know, honestly,” Hitomi said, her eyebrows furrowing. “She just showed up one day and asked if we were looking for session singers. We did, and she’s been here ever since.”

“Hm,” Chaewon grunted out as a reply. She spared Yuri another glance before digging into her bowl again.

“Anyway, I should get back to work,” Hitomi said as she stood up and put the chair back from wherever it came from.

“I’ll make sure to send your regards to the chef, Chaewon-unnie.”

“Thanks, Hiichan!” Chaewon said as a reply.

The two watched as Hitomi walked away and back into the kitchen. The band was still playing music, just without Yuri, so the lively atmosphere that surrounded the whole area occupied by Feathers did not dissipate. 

Minju could not help but think how the people she has met so far here on this island was shrouded in mystery, however.

Starting from the woman in front of her. 

Who was now tilting her bowl of ramen in front of her face to fully finish it.

Chaewon placed the bowl down and glanced up at Minju, who laughed at the sight of her face. She raised an eyebrow at her as she gulped her food down.

“What?”

Minju grinned at the older girl. “Your face is a mess.”

That was when Chaewon realized there were probably some soup on her cheek and random bits of spring onions and other toppings. She quickly moved a hand towards the tissue holder, but the younger girl beat her to it.

“Here, let me do it,” Minju said as she grabbed a few pieces of tissue and leaned on the table to reach over to Chaewon.

The older girl noticeably stiffened as Minju started dabbing the tissue on the parts of her mouth where ramen debris hit, but the younger girl pretended not to know. She didn’t know what came to her for her to do it anyway, she acted purely on impulse.

(Minju also pretended not to realize that she could feel Chaewon’s soft lips through the layers of tissues.)

She tried hard to concentrate at the task at hand, but she couldn’t help but feel the searing stare from brown eyes on her face, courtesy of the girl whose mouth she was wiping.

After what felt like excruciating long hours but was actually just a few seconds, Minju finally retracted her hand and put the tissue away. She refused to look at Chaewon right now, so she just continued eating her ramen until she finished it. Even then, she still felt the eyes that were heavily on her.

The younger girl almost didn’t catch the small mutter that came from the one opposite her.

“Thank you.”

She felt her face burning up even more. Maybe the bistro was getting a bit stuffy with all the people inside it.

She turned her face towards the stage to watch Yuri (and to avoid Chaewon seeing her blushing).

“N-No problem,” she stuttered back.

She continued to look away, until finally the stare was lifted from her. She let out a breath that she didn’t know she was holding.

“Looks like the chef is coming out to meet us soon,” she heard Chaewon mutter to her out of the blue.

Minju tore her view away from the performers and turned around to see past the bar where the kitchen was. She saw Hitomi talking to a male in a typical white chef uniform and saw him nodding. He then exited the kitchen and went outside to the dining area, approaching their table.

Minju was about to stand up to greet the chef when he went past their table and went outside the bistro.

She was clearly taken aback. That wasn’t the chef? 

“Chaewon-unnie, you wanted to see the chef?”

Minju turned back around again and saw Hitomi by their table a second time, smiling as usual.

Hitomi stepped aside to see a smaller woman beside her, who seemed to be not even five feet tall yet. The short lady had her straight her in a low ponytail, and was donning the chef uniform, her sleeves folded up to her elbows.

The lady-chef crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head up in confidence, a smile on her lips.

“Good evening, dear customers. I take it that my ramen tastes good?”

Minju saw Chaewon grin at the chef. “At this rate, I don’t think I’m ever gonna tire of your delicious ramen, Nako.”

“Oh, well, you’re welcome to eat it anytime, Chaewon-unnie,” the chef replied, returning the doctor’s grin.

This time, Hitomi turned to Minju to introduce her to the chef.

“Minju, this is Yabuki Nako. She’s the head chef here at Feathers. She can make almost everything on the menu, but her specialty is the ramen you just ate.”

Minju stood up abruptly, completely flabbergasted. She definitely did not expect the shorter lady to be the one who made the godsent ramen.

She took Nako’s hands in hers and shook them fervently.

“Hi, I’m Kim Minju! Your ramen is the most delicious thing I have ever eaten,” she told Nako enthusiastically.

The petite girl smiled at Minju as she looked up at the taller girl. “I’m glad to hear that! I’ll be looking forward to seeing you here often, then.”

“Well, then,” all three turned to Chaewon who was now standing up. “It’s getting late now, and I have something for tomorrow. We should probably head home.”

Minju looked at Chaewon with furrowed brows.

“Volunteering tomorrow, unnie?” Hitomi asked.

Minju then turned to Hitomi, her face sporting the same confused look.

Chaewon smiled at Hitomi and nodded.

Nako then spoke up. “Okay, then! We won’t keep you any longer. Besides, I need to get back to the kitchen, too. Good night, you two! And nice to meet you again, Minju.”

“Be careful on the road, Chaewon-unnie,” Hitomi followed.

Chaewon gave Hitomi a small thumbs up as Minju went to pick her things and got ready to leave. The two then gave the Japanese girls a slight bow.

“Thank you again. Good night!”

Nako and Hitomi waved them goodbye as they paid for their meal and exited Feathers. They got onto the car and drove home to retire for the night.

  


\---

  


“Um…”

Just as Chaewon dropped the car keys in a small bowl on top of the glass table in the middle of the living room, Minju mustered up the courage to call out to the older girl.

Chaewon looked at Minju with questioning eyes, though her face still kept up the blank face.

_A blank face, huh._

Chaewon’s face used to be so animated when they were together, but she figures that all these years of separation caused the older girl to be guarded around her. She was the same, after all. She still didn’t know how to act around Chaewon. Strangers? Acquaintances that used to be so much more?

But even when she didn’t see her old flame for years, she was somehow glad that she didn’t lose her ability to read Chaewon, even by just a little. 

She used to stare at those expressive brown eyes as if time wasn’t running, after all.

Though it did lessen by how withdrawn and indifferent the girl was with Minju.

“What is it?” Minju heard Chaewon say.

Minju started wringing her hands together nervously, her eyebrows stitched together. She didn’t know why she was so scared of talking to Chaewon when she was in a deep, enlightening conversation with her about ramen not even an hour ago.

She took a deep breath and tried to relax. 

Her kidnapper shouldn’t scare her.

“I, um… I just wanted to thank you for tonight— ah, today, actually. You’ve done so much already,” Minju was able to stutter out.

The older girl’s eyes softened at her.

_Ah, it’s those eyes again._

“You’re welcome,” she heard Chaewon say.

“Um, well, that’s all, I guess… I should better, uh… head upstairs and get some rest.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Chaewon started, a hand on her nape as she looked away from Minju.

Looks like Minju wasn’t the only one nervous.

“Good night, then,” Chaewon greeted the younger girl.

“Yeah… Good night, Chaewon-unnie,” Minju greeted back.

Minju turned her back towards Chaewon, starting her hike back to her room.

“Wait, Minju-yah.”

Minju stopped in her tracks, her heart suddenly beating erratically.

She didn’t mean to read too much in how Chaewon called her name just now, but it just sounded so, _so_ much like how her name used to sound like on the older girl’s lips all those years ago.

Full of familiarity. Full of fondness.

Another deep exhale escaped from Minju as she breathed through her nose, and she mustered up the courage to finally face her companion.

“Yeah?” she prompted.

The calmness of the night suddenly enveloped them, a silence all over. She could hear cricket sounds from the trees that surrounded the villa, the leaves ruffling in the night breeze. 

It was all Minju could hear, besides the lump of muscle in her chest that felt like it was about to jump out of her ribcage, as she looked at Chaewon and Chaewon looked at her, bright brown eyes meeting each other.

“I…”

Chaewon’s voice got lost as she pondered on what to say next. Minju just stood there expectantly, waiting patiently for the doctor who was seemingly nervous on what she was about to say.

Chaewon exhaled deeply, her eyes closed as she calmed herself.

“I, uh, I’m gonna do some volunteering at the local daycare tomorrow, so I’ll be out during the morning,” she heard Chaewon say, the older girl’s eyes downcast. 

“And...?” Minju gently urged Chaewon to continue.

“I was wondering if… if you wanted to see the island tomorrow, after I’m done. I’ll drive you around. Unless, uh...”

Chaewon cleared her throat and put her hands in her pockets. She looked up at the girl she was talking to, who was standing by the stairs with eyes widening by the second.

“Unless you want to come with me tomorrow? To the daycare? So you could just wait for me there?”

Minju just looked at Chaewon completely astonished. She never thought such an offer would come from the older girl. She was caught off-guard by the sudden invitation from her, especially when Chaewon has been directing only poker faces at her, with the occasional slightly-raised eyebrows and small quirks of lips.

Even when they were still dating, Chaewon was so sure of herself, always having an air of confidence around her. So to see the older girl as a stuttering mess even as a renowned doctor who topped the board exams was quite endearing.

“B-But you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she heard Chaewon stutter out loud. “I mean, I don’t want to force you to anything…”

Still, she didn’t have the heart to reject Chaewon’s offer.

Especially with what she has been feeling deep inside ever since she laid eyes on her ex-lover again this morning.

“Sure.”

Chaewon looked up at Minju in a heartbeat, her doe eyes shining in surprise.

“Huh?”

“I’ll come with you, unnie,” Minju replied with a shy smile.

Her face burned hot as she realized what she said, and the more she looked at the orange-head in front of her, the more her heart beats wildly.

She was tempted to turn her head, but she didn’t want to look away from Chaewon. Not when the look that appeared on the older’s face completely took her breath away.

Chaewon was smiling.

Chaewon was smiling at Minju, her eyes lighting up as little crescents as her lips curved upward to a form that Minju didn’t know she actually missed.

And the fact that _she_ was the one who made it happen, everything suddenly felt surreal to her.

“Thank you, Minju,” she heard the older girl say. 

“No, it’s fine,” she managed to reply, still a blushing mess. “I’ll look forward to tomorrow, then.”

Chaewon’s smile grew a little bit more. 

“Me too.”

Minju smiled back at the older girl.

“So, uh, I’ll see you tomorrow?” Chaewon asked.

“Yeah, you too, unnie.”

“Good night, Minju.”

“Good night, Chaewon-unnie.”

Minju turned her back and ran up the stairs so fast, racing back to her room in haste.

The image of Chaewon’s smiling face was etched onto her mind like carvings on stone, a reel of memories suddenly playing in her head that made her remember similar images from five years back. She felt her heart beat in record time, faster than her speed back to her room, probably even faster than the world’s fastest man.

As she laid down on her bed with a hand on her chest trying to calm her heat, she can’t help but indulge in another surge of memories that filled her mind.

She closed her eyes as she let the memories in; the scent of mint always on her sheets, on the hoodies that she used to steal from a closet that wasn’t hers. Brown strands of hair hiding brown eyes. Soft hands holding her own. The taste of mint chocolate ice cream that she was supposed to detest after being force-fed by it. A bright smile from the brightest person that used to light up her world.

The so-called butterflies were rampant in her stomach now, but along with that fluttering feeling was a pain that was almost too overwhelming to bear.

She let out a deep breath as a single tear escaped from her eyes, a hand shooting up in haste to wipe it off. 

As exciting as it was to finally be friends with Chaewon again, she couldn’t help but feel pain from everything that happened before.

Because she can’t deny to herself that the feelings that she used to have for Chaewon completely disappeared.

Even then, if Chaewon wished to start their relationship from scratch, she’ll gladly do it, even if they will be just friends at the end.

That will be enough for her.

That night, Minju dreams of memories of a young love that did not grow old with her.


	2. chapter i

_ Seoul, South Korea _

_ Ten years ago _

_ “Minju, hurry up!” _

_ “Coming!” _

_ A teenaged girl wearing her school uniform was hastily stuffing her belongings in a white backpack. She slung it over her shoulder and was about to exit through the door when she stopped in her tracks. _

_ “Oh, crap...!” _

_ She backpedaled into the room and went to the nearby locker, opening it and taking something inside. She closed it again and finally went out the door, coming over to her friend who was waiting for her outside. _

_ “Sorry! I almost forgot the camera,” she said sheepishly with a smile. _

_ “Ah, Minju’s at it again,” another one of her friends said while shaking her head at the girl. _

_ “Girls, come on! The bus is already here,” the group of female students turned their attention towards their teacher down the hall. _

_ “Coming!” they said in unison and made their way towards their school’s exit, their school shoes making sounds against freshly-polished floors. _

_ Before entering the bus, the teenaged girl checked her things again. Notepad, pencil case, food, wallet, school identification card, all check. Even the camera that was slung on her other shoulder was a check. _

_ After zipping up her bag, ninth-grader Kim Minju finally climbed up the school bus’ steps and sat down in one of the seats inside, immediately getting into a conversation with the classmate beside her. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Minju’s journalism club in her middle school was doing a cover story of how some students in their batch who were accepted into a prestigious private high school was doing a reading mission at the local daycare, along with the high school’s student council and some student volunteers. Minju was a writer for the school paper, as well as one of the students who gained admission to the high school, but as much as she wanted to read for the children, she decided that it was better for her to do her duty as a journalist for her school one last time. _

_ Besides, she knew the true nature of why both schools were holding the event. It was for rich kids to get to know other rich kids and earn connections that would run all the way until adulthood. She didn’t like that. She would rather watch from afar as kids who gained the ability to kiss ass at such a young age suck up to their “future seniors” who probably didn’t want anything to do with them anyway. _

_ “Okay! Let’s run through everything again,” Minju heard their editor-in-chief call out to their whole group when they got to the daycare. The group of student-journalists huddled together and started taking out their writing instruments and cameras from their respective stuff, with Minju doing the same. _

_ “Kim Minseo, you’re in charge of interviewing the teachers from both schools. Hong Sunghyun, the students from our school,” their leader started reading their assigned roles from a printed paper that she was holding. The boys wrote their assignment in their notes while nodding in affirmation. _

_ “Kim Minju, the student council from Jungshin High, preferably the president or the vice,” Minju heard her role and immediately wrote it on her notepad, repeating the written words so she could remember it better. _

_ “Jungshin High student council, got it.” _

_ “Alright, that’ll be all. Don’t forget to grab the nearest camera guy,” the chief said as the writers paired up with their respective photojournalists. “The cameras without partners, go ahead and take photos of the events freely. Don’t go too far, though.” _

_ The chief took one last look of their huddled group and cleared her throat. _

_ “Alright, let’s get going!” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “That student council president was creepy as fuck,” Minju heard her photographer companion say. “I can’t believe he memorized all the profiles of the admitted students! Is he some kind of stalker or something?” _

_ They were now sitting on one of the gazebos within the daycare’s premises. Minju was checking her notes from their interview with Jungshin High’s student council president, a dashing (but pretty much loathsome) teen who had blinding white teeth and a slicked-back hair that shone too much under the sun because of grease. They were unfortunate enough to have to interview the guy that they would rather not come near to, so they had to suffer through a whole half-hour of nauseating musk and a rotten attitude full of airs that only people who had silver spoons stuck up their behinds have obtained. _

_ “Also, did you hear what he said earlier? He said he ‘paid special attention to your profile, Kim Minju-ssi’,” her friend said as she held up air quotation marks, all the while making a face that mocked the awful boy they met earlier. “He’s interested in you! If that isn’t enough reason to not go to that school, I don’t know what is!” _

_ Minju huffed in irritation as she put the hand which was holding her notes down. “Yeah, I heard. And don’t worry, I’m already thinking of giving up my slot for that school.” She scrunched up her eyebrows and pulled her mouth to a frown as she looked ahead, her frustration building by the moment. _

_ “More importantly, all the answers he gave us was useless and completely irrelevant,” she continued ranting. “All he did was boast about how he already has a slot for KAIST regardless of his grades. None of what he said could be put on the paper.”  _

_ Her friend took a glance at her notes and winced. “Damn, he should give up on KAIST if boasting is all he knows. I’m pretty sure the top engineering school in the country won’t accept an ass like him.” _

_ Minju just heaved out a deep sigh.  _

_ “At this rate, our only hope is finding that vice president,” she continued. “We wouldn’t want to turn up to the others empty-handed.” _

_ “But we don’t know where that vice president is, she wasn’t in the opening ceremony earlier,” she heard her friend say. “...You think we can just interview the secretary instead and just say it came from the vice?” _

_ Minju looked at her friend incredulously.  _

_ “The paper is gonna be published in both schools, remember? We can’t have that.” _

_ She saw her friend put a palm to her face and sighed. _

_ “Where is the vice president of that god-forsaken school, anyway?” _

_ “Excuse me.” _

_ Both middle school girls turned their heads towards the direction of where the voice came from. There they saw a brown-haired girl with bangs covering her forehead, making what looked like an already small head seem smaller. She was wearing Jungshin High’s uniform, her hands in the pockets of her blazer. She was looking at the two middle schoolers as if waiting for them to give her a cue to continue.  _

_ Minju was caught off-guard by sudden appearance the stranger, not just because it seemed like the girl materialized behind them from thin air, but also because she was so pretty. _

_ Minju always knew she was attracted to pretty girls, but the girl in front of her was in a league of her own. She thinks she’s probably the prettiest girl she had ever seen, besides the celebrities she sees on TV and magazines on the daily. _

_ Her friend noticed Minju was just staring the newcomer and decided to speak up. _

_ “Um… May we help you?” _

_ “Yeah, uh. Did you say something about a vice president? From Jungshin High, I assume?” came the high schooler’s reply. _

_ Minju then stood up and looked at the older girl expectantly. _

_ “Yes, we were looking for her. Do you know where she is?” she asked. _

_ The high school girl smiled. “You’re speaking to her right now.” _

_ Both of the middle school girls’ jaws dropped. They definitely did not expect that. _

_ The older girl gave out her right hand for them to shake. “Hi, I’m Kim Chaewon, Jungshin High’s student council vice president. Nice to meet you.” _

_ Minju immediately went out of her daze and scrambled to return the handshake with a deep bow. “H-Hello! My name is Kim Minju, and this is my friend Lee Haeun! We’re from Chungdam Middle’s school paper! Nice to meet you too!” _

_ The girl named Chaewon returned the bows that both of the girls gave her, her smile not fading. When introductions were done, she gave the younger girls a question. _

_ “So, what can I do for you?” _

_ “U-Um…”  _

_ Minju then immediately brought out her notepad and flipped through the pages to settle on a blank one. Haeun on her side then brought out her camera from the bad and flipped the switch on.  _

_ “We were hoping if we could ask you some questions about the event? We’re doing a story about it, and we need some background about it and what kind of roles the two schools play in it. If that’s okay with you, of course.” _

_ “Of course,” Chaewon answered. “Please, sit down so we could get started.” _

_ “Um, Chaewon-ssi, do you mind if we take your picture?” Haeun asked. _

_ Chaewon shook her head while smiling at the photographer. “Not at all. Go ahead and take as many as you need.” _

_ Minju then sat down in front of Chaewon as Haeun worked the shutter off. She uncapped her pen and turned on her phone’s voice recorder. She took a deep breath and readied herself for the interview. _

_ “So, um. Chaewon-ssi. First question…” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “...so yes, we’re looking forward to the new students in our school this next academic year and the new things that they can bring in as freshmen of Jungshin High School.” _

_ Minju wrote Chaewon’s answer to the final question word-by-word. As she wrote the last letter, she lifted her head at Chaewon. _

_ “I think we got what we needed, Chaewon-ssi,” Minju said. _

_ “Oh, it’s done?” Chaewon asked. _

_ “Yes! Thank you so much for the amazing answers,” Minju thanked the vice president with a smile. _

_ “No problem,” Chaewon said as she returned Minju’s smile. _

_ “You heard that, Minju?” Haeun said as she finished reviewing the photos she took during the interview. “Chaewon-ssi said she’s looking forward to the new students, meaning she’s looking forward to you.” _

_ Minju turned at her friend in apprehension, only getting a mischievous smile in return. _

_ “Oh, is Minju-ssi one of the incoming freshmen this incoming school year?” they heard Chaewon ask Haeun. _

_ Haeun then quipped enthusiastically. “Yep! She’s one of the best students in our year, so it was basically no surprise that she got into your school. I think she’ll make great contributions to Jungshin High as one of its students.” _

_ “Is that so?” Chaewon said as she turned back to the writer in front of her, who was now hiding half of her face with her notepad, noticeably blushing. _

_ “Yeah, well…” Minju managed to choke out. “I was one of the lucky ones who got in.” _

_ Chaewon scrunched her nose disapprovingly as she smiled at the bashful girl. “I don’t think it’s easy to get into our school, too. So you’re definitely more than lucky, Minju-ssi.” _

_ Minju slowly looked up at the older girl in front of her again, this time lowering her hand that was covering her face and returning the smile. _

_ “T-Thank you.” _

_ “You’re welcome.” _

_ Just then, they heard a distant voice coming from one of the windows in the daycare call out to Chaewon. _

_ “Kim Chaewon!” _

_ All three girls in the gazebo turned to where the voice came from, and saw Jungshin’s student council president leaning forward in a window, almost half of his body out in the open. _

_ “Get back up here, we’ve got work to do!” _

_ The two middle school girls heard Chaewon heave out a sigh, her lips now forming a frown. _

_ “Well, duty calls. I’ll be going, then,” she said as she stood up. _

_ Minju stood up as well and bowed. “T-Thanks again for agreeing to the interview!” _

_ “No worries,” Chaewon said as she smiled for Minju again. “It was a pleasure.” _

_ The older girl then held out a hand for a shake. _

_ “This may be too early but, I guess I’ll be seeing more of you from now on, Minju-ssi?” _

_ Minju looked at Chaewon with wide eyes, glanced at the outstretched hand and looked at Chaewon again. She immediately took it with both hands and shook it firmly and with vigor. _

_ “Yes, yes, of course, Chaewon-ssi!” _

_ It felt like time slowed for Minju as soon as she held Chaewon’s hand. Her mind was on overdrive, suddenly noticing all the little things related to the older girl. _

Oh wow, her hand is so soft. Her face is so small my fist is probably a lot bigger. Wait, is that a good thing? Nevermind. Her eyes, they look like a cat’s, and it’s the nicest shade brown. Holy crap, she is just way too pretty. Did I mention her hand is soft?

_ Time went back to its normal speed for Minju as she saw Chaewon widen her smile to show her teeth.  _

_ “Good to hear, then,” the older girl said as she retracted her hand from the handshake. _

_ “It was nice meeting you girls. Bye, then!” _

_ “Thank you!” _

_ Minju and her friend then bowed to Chaewon’s retreating back. _

_ As they stood back up again, the only things Minju was focused on was Chaewon getting further and further from them, and her heart suddenly beating way too fast. _

_ Minju then turned back to Haeun, who was now sporting a smirk and a raised eyebrow. _

_ “...What?” she asked her friend, her own eyebrows slowly creasing. _

_ “You have a crush on that vice president, don’t you?” _

_ Minju widened her eyes at Haeun looking absolutely appalled, scoffing at the words that just came out of the photographer’s mouth. _

_ “What are you talking about?!” she half-screamed at her friend. _

_ Haeun’s smirk just got bigger. “Come on, you’re way too obvious.” _

_ The writer rolled her eyes aggressively at Haeun’s obnoxious teasing. “I don’t even have the energy to counter that nonsense anymore.” _

_ “Mhmm,” Haeun just shrugged, completely not buying what Minju said. “Whatever you say, I guess.” _

_ Minju ignored Haeun and turned back to her notes of the interview, reviewing the answers she obtained. She started writing extra footnotes to guide her in making her article later. _

_ “You still thinking of giving up your slot?” she heard Haeun say as she was packing up her camera. _

_ Minju stopped her writing for a while and pondered on what answer to give. _

_ She felt heat creeping back up to her cheeks. _

_ “...I’ll have to think about it.” _

_ Haeun just grinned, knowing the real answer wasn’t as vague as what Minju gave. _

_ “Are those wedding bells I hear?” _

_ “Shut up!” _

  
  



	3. Chapter 2

Chaewon did not know what to do.

The sole purpose of her indefinite stay in Deokjeokdo was to live a life of not doing anything at all, just lazing around the huge villa that Eunbi lent her (without batting a single eyelash, mind you). 

At least, that was the plan, originally.

She thought she would be able to spend peaceful days in the island doing nothing besides the usual tourist activities, but it seemed that her nature as a doctor that she developed for almost ten years made her involve herself with the townsfolk more than what she anticipated. For the past two months that she has been cohabitating with the locals, she has been doing favors for them; delivering things with the use of the car, volunteering over at the daycare, even donning a stethoscope from time to time to help out at the health center and care for the elderly, all without asking anything in return. 

Now, Chaewon was a  _ psychiatrist _ , and she had  _ zero knowledge _ whatsoever about relieving joint and muscle pain for the elderly, besides the basic things she learned in medical school. At first, at least. After endless calls to one other doctor who also happened to be the most annoying woman she couldn’t live without, as well as countless trips to the physical therapists for help, she was finally able to perform some treatment for the senior patients over at the health center.

All these things she had been doing around the island was what made her well-known in the area, that sometimes she was surprised her name was being called by people she had never even met before.

Chaewon supposed this was fine, just as long as she didn’t involve herself in anything stressful.

Especially things related to  _ her _ .

Her heart still aches whenever she remembers what happened. That was the main reason why she was on leave from the hospital after all.

After spending a day at the health center and listening to the elderly women’s stories about the latest town gossip (she wasn’t really interested in gossip, she just figured it would be rude if she didn’t lend the grandmothers an ear), Chaewon thought hanging out by the beach to unwind and enjoy the sunset was a good idea. 

She contemplated going to Feathers, but she wanted some time alone and didn’t want to surround herself with too many people. Besides, even if she came there seeking the company of Hitomi (or even Nako, as busy as that little chef always was), she knew the two younger girls wouldn’t be able to pay her that much attention as they were too occupied with running the bistro.

So she went to the next best thing: the convenience store near the port. She parked the car on the road beside it and went to go inside the store. She took notice of a woman sleeping on one of the tables outside the store, and saw the several beer cans surrounding her. Chaewon gave the woman a pitiful look.

Whoever that woman was, she must have been carrying the weight of the whole world on her shoulders for her to drink that much. 

She went inside the store to buy her favorite bag of chips and two cans of Sprite. As she went to the counter to pay for her food, the cashier recognized her immediately.

“Good afternoon, doctor. Wait, is it evening already?” the cashier went to check the time on the register as well as started scanning the items on the counter. “Ah, whatever. Did you come from helping out at the center?”

Chaewon gave the cashier a smile. “Yes, the grandmothers were especially giddy today. I had a hard time keeping up with their stories,” she said as she grabbed a few bills from her purse to pay for her snacks.

“Aren’t they always, though? I hope you don’t push yourself too hard,” the cashier said in worry.

“I’ll be fine, thanks.”

Chaewon then took the bag of her items after paying and thanked the cashier. She had just stepped outside the store when she saw a group of boys suspiciously surrounding the sleeping woman she saw on her way in. From behind one of them, she saw another crouching down to the woman’s purse which was loosely dangling from her shoulder. 

Chaewon can’t believe a crime was happening right in front of her, being committed by a bunch of teenagers, no less. 

“Hey!”

The whole group of boys suddenly froze as she called them out.

“D-D-Doctor!”

“I’m giving you ten seconds to step away from that lady, or else…”

She saw the boys gulped simultaneously.

“Ten…”

They immediately scrambled away from the convenience store as soon as Chaewon started counting down. She looked at their retreating backs with a disapproving look, shaking her head slowly. What are they teaching kids at school these days?

(But then she realizes that schools aren’t entirely at fault for shaping behavior. She of all people should know this. Sometimes Chaewon wonders why she even took psychiatry in the first place, if it meant her over-analyzing even the most mundane things.)

She turned to look at the (drunk) sleeping woman. Judging from the suitcase that was beside her table, as well as the clothes she was wearing, she was a tourist. This made her frown at the woman even more. How careless is this tourist for her to sleep comfortably with her luggage out in the open just like that?

She decided to approach the woman to take a closer look, side-stepping the empty beer cans all over the floor. As Chaewon got nearer, a sense of déjà vu started washing over her as she looked at the woman’s sleeping form, her heart starting to beat uncontrollably. This woman was oddly familiar, Chaewon strongly feels like she has seen her before.

As she got to the woman’s side, she took a glance at her sleeping face. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized who she was.

_ Oh no. _

_ Kim Minju…? _

No wonder the woman was so familiar to her, it was her ex-girlfriend that she hasn’t seen in ages. The last time she saw Minju’s face up close was the day they broke up… well, besides on the news from the station Minju works for when she watches TV.

(She insists it was because that station was the most unbiased when it came to their news, and  _ not _ because she wants to see Minju.)

Of all places, of all times, of all people… Chaewon couldn’t believe her luck.

Did the universe hate her enough to put her in such a predicament?

Chaewon let out a deep sigh as she closed her eyes and put a hand on her forehead. As much as she wants to ignore her ex-girlfriend who was drunk out of her wits and just leave her here, she knows she couldn’t do that.

She looked over at the police station near the docks. Maybe she can hand her over to the police’s care…

The uniformed men were enjoying drinks of their own, obviously throwing work ethics out the window as they got themselves drunk while on duty.

Chaewon can’t possibly leave a drunk woman to such unreliable men.

“Doctor, should I call the police for that lady?” she heard the cashier from the entrance of the store.

“...No need.”

She answered the question given to her without her eyes leaving Minju’s sleeping face.

She silently realized that it has been a long time since she looked at that face.

She used to take it for granted too much.

“Let me take care of her myself.”

So much for not doing anything stressful.

The appearance of her ex-girlfriend was nothing but stressful by itself only.

Chaewon then gently took Minju’s arm and bent her legs to sling it over to her shoulders. She then slowly lifted the drunk lady’s body off the chair, her own arm around Minju’s waist to keep her from falling as she stood up. 

Minju was a lot lighter than what she remembered.

“Hey, can you grab her stuff for me and bring it to the car with me, please?” she voiced a request for the cashier.

“O-Of course!” she said as she quickly moved towards the suitcases that Minju brought with her on her trip. She locked the store close for a while as she assisted Chaewon with Minju’s belongings.

“Here we go,” Chaewon said as she started walking back to the car carrying a dead-to-the-world Minju, the cashier walking behind her with the suitcase.

“Urgh…”

Not even halfway the distance yet and Chaewon felt Minju stir consciously. The arm around her shoulders started getting heavy and Minju’s legs weren’t cooperating as they stepped closer and closer to the car.

“Come on… Work with me, Kim Minju,” Chaewon muttered under her breath.

By some miracle, they arrived at the car without any further hitches. She took the suitcases from the convenience store lady and thanked her for her help. With her left arm still around Minju’s waist, she took the suitcase and heaved it up to the truck’s trunk. Chaewon then opened the door to the backseat and slowly guided Minju’s body to lay on the seat inside. After much difficulty, she was able to successfully put the drunk lady’s body across the backseat. She closes the door and lets out a deep huff from exerting such effort.

She then climbed up on the driver’s seat and started the car. She took a glance at Minju’s sleeping form through the rear mirror as she put her seatbelt on. 

A beat passes as she stared at the sleeping girl behind her.

She looked away and started the car, continuing on her way home.

  
  


\---

  
  


Helping Minju out of the car was more difficult than getting her in, and it wasn’t long before Chaewon realized carrying the dead drunk by the usual slung-arm-around-shoulders method was not going to work. So she resorted to a different way to carrying the younger girl.

Chaewon placed her arms in between Minju’s body and the leather of the car seat, her left arm placed under Minju’s legs and her right arm under the younger girl’s back. She took a deep breath and lifted the body up, slowly getting out of the car.

She bumped her knee on the open car door to push it close, and made her way to the villa’s front door. Chaewon just barely managed to get herself inside the Kwon villa without accidentally dropping Minju, even when she felt her arms burning from the weight they were carrying.

Now she was regretting declining Eunbi’s invitation to lift some weights when she accompanied her to the gym, and just settling on the treadmill.

Chaewon used all of her remaining strength and willpower to get herself up the stairs and onto the second floor where spare guest rooms were. She opened the nearest door and got inside the room, making her way to stand beside the bed.

She placed a knee on the bed and slowly put down Minju’s body on top of it, moving gently so as to not wake up the girl. She then slowly lifted herself away from the bed and let out a heavy breath to finally give herself relief from the difficult task that she had to do.

Chaewon then went back outside to retrieve Minju’s belongings and place them inside. On the way back to Minju’s designated room, she grabbed a pair of indoor slippers that were never used from the rack near the entrance, thinking the girl might need it once she wakes up.

_ Ah, speaking of waking up. _

After placing Minju’s luggage and the slippers inside the room, Chaewon immediately made a beeline towards the kitchen. She grabbed a glass of water and placed a few painkiller pills she got from a medicine box nearby in a small dish. She walked up the stairs again and into Minju’s room, placing the items on the nightstand by the bed.

Chaewon took a glance at Minju’s face.

The younger girl always had a serene look when she was asleep, Chaewon mused.

She realized she was staring and was taken aback.

_ Snap out of it. _

Chaewon shook her head and turned around, exiting the room.

She closed the door behind her gently, making sure not to wake up the girl inside the room.

She made her way to her and went inside. She took her phone from a table and sat down on the bed, holding her thumb on a speed dial number on the keypad.

_ Ring, ring. _

As she heard the ringing of her phone trying to connect the call, she swept her eyes across the expanse of her dark room. The sun had completely sunk a long time ago, but she didn’t bother turning the lights on, the only source of light coming from the moon and the glow from the lamps that surround the pool outside.

Chaewon hears a click as the call connected to the other line. A woman’s groggy voice came after.

_ “Hello…?” _ __   
  


Chaewon lets a small smile grow on her lips subconsciously.

“Sorry, I must have woken you up. I’ll call later, then.”

She heard static as she imagined the woman shift, probably sitting up now.

_ “No, no! What are you talking about…” _ the woman said.  _ “I just finished an operation about an hour ago, so I figured I should get some shut-eye. What’s wrong?” _

Chaewon hesitated a little before answering. “Nothing, nothing… Just wanted to know how you were doing.”

She heard the woman stay silent, until deep exhale was blown through the other’s receiver. Chaewon hears her speak again.

_ “...You do realize that you lost your ability to lie to me since we were kids, right?” _

Chaewon chuckled dryly, shaking her head at what she just heard.

_ “Come on, we know each other way too much for far too long. You can do better than that, Chaewon-ah,”  _ the woman said with a humorous tone in her voice.

“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Chaewon replied.

_ “So what is it? What’s the matter?” _

Chaewon let silence pass by for a few seconds, her breathing the only thing she could hear besides the static from the call. She let her head fall to her hand, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes and furrowed her brows.

“Eunbi-unnie…” she started.

The woman on the call with her kept quiet, patiently waiting for her to continue.

“...She’s here.”

_ “...Is it who I think it is?” _

Chaewon let out a deep exhale. 

“Yeah… Minju’s here.”

_ “There, with you? At the villa?” _

“Yeah.”

Another second of silence went by.

_ “Wow,”  _ Eunbi exclaimed her surprise.  _ “How did that happen?” _

“I went to the convenience store earlier after volunteering at the health center,” she started to explain. “I saw her there asleep, a bunch of beer cans around her. She must have passed out drunk.”

_ “...And you took her home?” _

“Yeah, I wasn’t about to leave her to some sleazy uniformed men who were drinking on duty.”

_ “...Mhmm.” _

Chaewon noticed Eunbi’s tone. She raised an eyebrow at this and scowled at her long-time friend, even when she knows she’s not seen.

“What’s with that tone?”

_ “Oh, well, I don’t know. Isn’t this a good situation for you to be in?” _

“What do you mean?” Chaewon asked, though at the back of her mind she already knew what the older girl meant.

_ “You know what I mean,”  _ Eunbi said, a tone of finality in her voice.

Chaewon sighed again for who knows how many times already.

“...I don’t know,” she said, her fingers gripping the bridge of her nose a little tighter.

Eunbi didn’t press on, letting Chaewon speak at her own pace.

Chaewon is grateful for it.

“I know I said I still had feelings for her, but after everything that happened… Everything that happened to  _ her _ , I don’t think I’m ready.”

She paused for a split-second, closing her eyes as she willed the pain from the memories that started to resurface to go away.

“I don’t think I  _ will _ ever be ready.”

It was Eunbi’s turn to let out a deep sigh.

Chaewon somehow found it amusing how many traits they have been sharing all across the years they’ve been friends.

_ “I get that, really. I did say the best thing for you right now is to take your time,”  _ she heard the older woman talk to her in comfort, but then shifted her tone to something else. “ _ But please, do me a favor and don’t, you know… avoid her?” _

The orange-head put her palm on her forehead groaned. She can’t believe Eunbi saw right through her without actually  _ seeing _ her.

Maybe she should bring up switching professions with the older girl. She has to work on her knife skills, though.

“Dammit,” Chaewon said, rolling her eyes at what Eunbi just said. “I was thinking about doing just that.”

_ “And I was thinking of calling the villa’s caretaker to kick you out if ever you did that,” _ Eunbi replied. Chaewon can already picture the woman returning her eye-roll with one of her own.  _ “I know you keep saying you’re doing well on that island by keeping yourself busy all the time, but having a friend to actually talk to and  _ be with _ helps. You of all people should know that.” _

Chaewon scoffed. “But I do have friends! I’ve been telling you all about them ever since I got here.”

_ “Yeah, if you count the grandmothers you meet at the health center, and all the kids you teach in the daycare, sure,”  _ Eunbi voiced out, her sarcasm evident.  _ “Maybe Nako and Hitomi too, but we both know those two are too busy running the bistro to properly listen to your woes.” _

“And you assume Minju will? As if I’m going to easily tell her everything when we haven’t even properly met yet?”

_ “What I’m saying is,” _ Eunbi paused what she was saying as she took a deep breath.  _ “You need a proper friend, one who’s there to keep your ass out of trouble. It doesn’t mean you have to tell her everything.” _

Chaewon kept silent as Eunbi said her piece.

_ “I can’t be your only friend, Chaewon. And if anyone is more suited to take care of you besides me, it’s Minju. Disregarding the fact that she’s your ex you haven’t seen in years.” _

The younger girl pouted at what she heard, effectively looking like a child being scolded. 

“I can take care of myself…” she muttered under her breath.

Eunbi still caught what she said, though.

_ “We both know that’s a lie.” _

What Eunbi said shut her up. She never told Eunbi the “questionable” things that she did (and will probably continue to do) ever since she arrived in Deokjeokdo a few months ago, but she also knows she can never get anything past Eunbi. 

Chaewon is almost sure that her friend was psychic.

(“You most definitely  _ can _ read minds, can’t you?” she asked Eunbi once, when they were out together on one of their friendly dates. “Only yours,” came her answer, accompanied with a wink. Chaewon threw a fry at the older girl in disgust.)

“...Fine,” she said in resignation. “But if she doesn’t talk to me, then that’s not my problem anymore.”

_ “Deal,”  _ the older girl’s voice came through the speaker with a hint of a smile.  _ “Though I get the feeling that you won’t have to worry about her not talking to you.” _

“Oh, so not only can you read minds, you can predict the future too?”

_ “Only  _ your  _ future,” _ Eunbi echoed what she told Chaewon from back then.

“...I really wish I could hit you right now.”

She heard Eunbi cackle in amusement. Chaewon let her lips twitch up to a smile because of the older girl’s antics.

“Anyway, enough of that,” Chaewon said as she wrapped up their conversation about her current predicament. “Tell me about your day.”

_ “Oh, you would not believe the fuck-up I had to fix today!” _ she heard Eunbi suddenly straighten up as she started her stories of today’s events from her side.

The two talked all the way into the night, Chaewon not giving a single care if she racked up the phone bill to an unimaginable amount, even occasionally going down to the kitchen as silently as possible (to avoid waking up a certain ex) to fix herself dinner of a cup of ramyeon (Eunbi told her she was having the same meal, and they reveled in the fact that they were on the same wavelength).

Talking to Eunbi about everything going on always made her life easier. She couldn’t imagine living it without her main pillar of support, the only constant in her life. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was one of the reasons why she was still sane today, even after everything that she had been through.

At some point in their hours-upon-hours chat, Eunbi had to go after being paged to the nurse’s station to start her rounds. They each said good night, along with the hopes of meeting soon, and finally ended the call. Chaewon then started to get ready for bed.

Her thoughts come flitting back to the sleeping girl in the other room. Unease suddenly settled; she realized she wouldn’t know what to do when she will inevitably have to make contact with her.

She supposed it’s something that she will have to deal with tomorrow. For now, she sleeps.

Chaewon was able to sleep a little bit more easily that night.

  
  


\---

  
  


Chaewon followed what Eunbi told her. At first, she didn’t know how to handle having Minju a little too close to her again. She was almost tempted to just stay inside her room forever until Minju decides to leave.

However, she knows Eunbi will have her head if she even  _ thought _ of doing that.

So she did her best to connect again, even if they started with awkward conversations that are mostly one-sided (on Minju’s part, this she realized). 

And paying for both of their meals during lunch made her feel a little bit elated, although in hindsight, it looked like she was boasting her wealth for being a white-coat in private practice.

(Chaewon almost slapped herself when she did it. Minju probably has the impression of her being a cocky rich doctor now.)

She also secretly apologizes for all the blank faces completely void of emotion that she sends Minju her way. 

She can’t help but feel guarded all the time in regards of the younger girl. Perhaps Eunbi would understand if she feels like she can’t completely open up to Minju just yet.

But as the day progressed, little by little she felt at ease with Minju’s presence, like a stranger becoming an acquaintance with enough time spent with them. 

Though they were hardly strangers in the first place, they have a shared past after all. Chaewon had this as an afterthought, which caused a bittersweet smile to herself.

That night, Chaewon mustered up the courage to ask her to come with her to the daycare tomorrow. And she was glad the younger girl said yes.

Maybe they could be friends again, after all.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Minju…”

Minju’s dream started to fade as she started to resurface back to consciousness.

“Minju, wake up.”

One by one she started to regain her senses, slowly grasping her reality. She hears someone calling out her name, but she didn’t open her eyes yet.

She felt a hand slowly pat her arm a few times. This was when she finally willed herself to open her eyes.

Minju turned to the other side of the bed, squinting at the intruder who dared disturb her from her sleep.

Orange hair, white shirt, brown eyes looking at her.

It looked like her kidnapper.

Oh.

_ Oh. _

The realization of Kim Chaewon suddenly in close proximity woke her up completely, getting the haze of sleep out of her mind better than a bucket of ice thrown at her. She suddenly sat up straight, eyes widening as each second of her mind registering the fact that Chaewon was there passed.

“W-Wha—?”

“Hey, take it easy,” she heard Chaewon mumble at her as she moved away a little farther from Minju.

Minju was finally able to slow down her breathing, as well as the beating of her heart.

“Sorry, I must have startled you,” Chaewon said to her, eyebrows slightly meeting each other.

“I-It’s fine,” Minju stuttered, raising her hand cluthing onto her blanket upwards to her mouth. She knows how bad morning breath is. “What is it?”

“Uh, I was wondering if you’re still coming with me to the daycare today?”

Minju just stared at the other girl, saucer-eyed. Her brain’s processing skills are slowed when she just woke up, so she wasn’t able to answer Chaewon’s query immediately.

Chaewon took this reaction differently, however.

“Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. You need rest, after all. You can have the house all to yourself,” the doctor said, a hand to her nape.

Minju’s brain finally caught up to her surroundings and what was happening in front of her, her mouth managing to sputter out a response.

“N-No! Um…” she started, completely at a loss on what to say next. “I’ll still go with you. Let me just… get ready...” Minju grew conscious of how she probably looked like, bed hair and all. 

Chaewon smiled at her, clearly glad that she still has a companion for today’s activities. She let her hand from her nape drop down to her side.

“Hey hey, no need to rush,” Chaewon looked at her fondly.

Minju looked at her questioningly.

“Take your time, I still have to make breakfast,” she said as she started walking backwards, taking herself to the door without her eyes leaving Minju. “Come down when you’re ready, and let’s eat together.”

By the time Chaewon was by the door, Minju was still staring at her, processing what she just said. 

(Chaewon found the sight of disheveled Minju cute, but she kept it to herself.)

She opened the door and was about to step out of the room when she remembered something.

“Oh, and before I forget,” Chaewon said as she turned to face the girl on the bed, smiling.

“Good morning, Minju.”

Minju still sat there agape at Chaewon.

Chaewon tilted her head at the younger girl, the expression on her face telling that she was waiting for something Minju has to say.

That’s when it hit her.

“G-Good morning, Chaewon-unnie!”

The older girl’s smile turned into a full-on grin, directing it at Minju before stepping out of her room and closing the door behind her.

When Minju hears the sound of footsteps become fainter by the second until it finally disappears, she let out a loud huff as she allowed herself to fall back to the bed. She just stared at the ceiling, processing everything that just happened.

Chaewon coming in to wake her up. Chaewon getting worried about her possibly not coming with her, then getting relieved when she said she was. But most importantly…

Chaewon’s smile.

Compared to yesterday, the older girl’s face was definitely becoming more animated when she was talking to her. And she was glad. She didn’t want to admit it, but Minju felt a little hurt by the poker faces that Chaewon seemed to give only to her.

But now Chaewon was smiling. At her. And now she doesn’t know what to do with all the fluttering feelings it gave her.

Her day has barely just started, yet her heart already felt like it ran a marathon.

  
  


\---

  
  


When Minju got to the kitchen, there was already a plate full of pancakes and a mug of steaming hot chocolate waiting on her side of the kitchen island. She saw Chaewon tidying up the kitchen, her back turned to her, just like how she saw her yesterday. Today however, Chaewon was in an oversized shirt tucked into her blue jeans, her hair up in a ponytail.

She ignored the thought that came into her mind, saying how the older girl always looked good with her hair up.

Minju can’t help but notice the difference from yesterday; there was no tension in the air anymore, and the awkward atmosphere that clouded the area when the two first met again dissipated gradually. It may still be present, but it wasn’t as much as before this time.

“I didn’t know you learned how to cook,” she told Chaewon just as the older girl finished washing the utensils she used for cooking the pancakes.

Chaewon turned around and placed her own meal in front of Minju, a cup of coffee in one hand. 

“When you live alone, you kinda have to,” she said, smiling at Minju as they sat to eat.

Minju knows it wasn’t meant to, but it felt like a jab to her.

She couldn’t cook for  _ shit _ .

Minju averted her eyes from the older girl just as she picked up her mug to take a sip.

The hot chocolate was amazing yet again.

“Well, I guess I’m one of those who rely on South Korea’s amazing delivery system…” she muttered quietly, but the older girl caught it, giving a small chuckle in return.

“Don’t worry, I can’t really cook the complicated stuff. Eunbi-unnie forced me to learn how to cook even the simplest ones when we lived in America together.”

The last bit caught Minju’s attention, raising an eyebrow at the older girl.

She was about to ask Chaewon what she meant by it, when Chaewon suddenly announced he gratitude for the food.

“Thank you for the food!”

Minju lost her timing. She just sighed and smiled at the older girl, saying her thanks as well.

“Thanks for the food.”

They started stuffing their faces with the pancakes, falling into a comfortable silence after Minju complimented Chaewon how the food tasted delicious. The girl across her gave a bashful smile and said her thanks.

Minju decided asking Chaewon again about her relationship with Eunbi would be reserved for another time.

  
  


\---

  
  


Chaewon pulled up the car in front of a small building, pastel pink walls with children painted on it found on its exterior. As they got out, Minju took in her surroundings, finding it oddly familiar. 

There was a gazebo to the left with a stone path that led to the entrance of the building, and a field wide enough for little children to play in by the right of the building. 

_ Huh, this looks like the daycare from back then, _ she thought to herself.

The daycare where she first met Chaewon.

She shook her head, willing the memory to go away.

Now was not the time to go down memory lane.

She almost had a heart attack when she turned to Chaewon and saw the older girl looking at her, her brown eyes boring over hers. She held a hand over her chest as she exhaled a breath of relief.

“Geez, don’t scare me like that!”

Chaewon raised an eyebrow and jutted out her bottom lip. 

“I didn’t do anything though?”

Minju fought the urge to roll her eyes.

“Anyway,” Chaewon said as she glanced at the daycare’s entrance and back to Minju. “Ready?”

Minju smiled at her. 

“Let’s go.”

  
  


\---

  
  


When they got in, one of teachers ushered Chaewon and her inside one of the classrooms. People were sitting in a few chairs lined up outside the room, a few being grandmothers, which Minju assumed as chaperones for the children inside, and stood up to greet Chaewon when they arrived.

She wondered if the whole island knew Chaewon.

Chaewon greeted them back, and introduced Minju as a friend who came to help today. She greeted the elders back, and then got inside the classroom already filled with about twenty children.

Minju noted how the room looked like that of a typical daycare’s classroom; colorful walls with educational charts pinned on them, shelves of bright colors that held children’s books, toys by the furthest corner of the room, and the floor carpeted with rubber mats shaped like a jigsaw puzzle.

If Minju could still remember the daycare she attended, it would probably look something like this, she presumed.

They heard the teacher speak up to the class.

“Okay, class! Say hello to Doctor Chaewon!”

All of the kids stood up to greet the orange-haired lady, donning smiles with missing teeth here and there.

“Good morning, Doctor Chaewon!” the whole class of children not older than five years old greeted and bowed in chorus, enthusiasm evident on each of their faces.

Chaewon returned their grins and bows with one of her own. “Good morning too!”

She motioned for them to sit down, the whole class’s attention on her. Chaewon turned to the teacher to her side and exchanged a few words, the teacher leaving the class to them afterwards. The doctor then turned back to the class and cleared her throat.

“Okay, before anything else. I’d like to tell you guys that there’ll be someone special joining us today!”

Chaewon held Minju’s wrist and gently brought her to the front.

“Kids, this is Ms. Minju. She’ll be participating in our class as a special student today.”

Minju was shocked by what Chaewon just said, slowly turning her head to look at the older girl by her side. She found the words that came out of her mouth completely outrageous, and they were enough to make her feel revolted.

“What do you mean ‘special student’?! You didn’t tell me I had to  _ become a preschooler _ !” she whispered harshly to the older girl, who was still donning a wide grin, her eyes not leaving the children.

Something tells Minju that Chaewon’s amused face wasn’t just because she was happy to see the kids.

“You’re just going to sit beside them and help if they have questions. That’s all you’re gonna do, okay?” Chaewon whispered back.

Minju saw Chaewon shift her eyes to hers, then suddenly felt the hand on her wrist slide down to her own hand, Chaewon giving it a soft squeeze.

“Please? You won’t regret it.”

Minju looked at Chaewon with creased eyebrows trying to look indignant, but the heat she was feeling that started to rise up to her cheeks all the way to her ears because of the hand on hers was betraying her. 

She sighed, trying to collect herself.

“Okay.”

She faced the children looking at her expectantly, and drew a deep breath. It wasn’t like her to be nervous; she didn’t think any kind of shame still existed in her when she used to chase important people for ambush interviews as a reporter. For some reason, however, she feels intimidated by the young eyes that looked like they could see through her soul. 

Calming down her nerves, Minju stepped up in front and smiled at the children enthusiastically.

“Hi, nice to meet you. You can call me Minju, and I’d like you to think of me as a big sister, alright? Let’s enjoy class together!”

The children all gave a collective “okay!” with the same amount of fervor as they did earlier. Chaewon motioned a hand towards an empty seat by one of the oval-shaped tables at front, besides one of the students. Minju walked over to the small chair and sat on it, greeting her seatmate at the same time.

At first, she struggled to get comfortable on the chair. It was definitely not made for a full-grown adult such as herself to sit on, only half her butt filled up the seat, her knees almost huddled up to her chest. The table was also too low, and if she needed to write something down she would be hunching her back over it.

She could already imagine the pain her back will go through after this.

“Alright, settle down now,” she heard Chaewon speak at the front, her hands clapping twice to get the children’s attention. “We’re gonna start today’s lesson. Do all of you remember what we learned last week?”

“Yes!” came a chorus of toddler voices.

Minju can’t help but smile at all the children and how they respond to Chaewon.

The urge to wanting to become a kid again suddenly got to her. 

“Can anyone tell me what it was?” Chaewon asked the class.

“Me, doctor!”

A short stubby hand shot up to the air as someone from the back of the class answered Chaewon, everyone turning around to see who it was. 

“Yes, Minhee?”

The little girl stood up, her smile reaching up to her ears, revealing a missing front tooth. Minju grinned at Minhee’s enthusiasm to answer.

Hopefully when she reaches high school that enthusiasm won’t disappear.

“We talked about the five senses!”

“Very good, Minhee! You get a star for that,” Chaewon said as she walked over to the class chart and put a star sticker over at the row where Minhee’s name was found.

“Now if we can all still remember, what are the five senses again?”

The class started answering collectively, and the whole room resounded in the high-pitched voices that were signature of children.

“Siiiiiiight, smeeeell, taaaaaste…”

In true childlike manner they drawled their answers, and Minju can’t help but widen her smile at the children in amusement.

She turned to look at Chaewon, who was looking at her with an expectant look on her face.

Minju knew what it meant, causing her to look back at Chaewon, her face having " _ are you kidding me right now? _ " written all over it.

Chaewon just raised an eyebrow in return.

Surrendering with a sigh, Minju decided to just humor the woman.

“Heeaariiiiing, aaand toooouuch…” Minju answered along with the children.

Chaewon grinned at the younger girl, and Minju noticed the hint of mischief that traced her smile.

She rolled her eyes at her in response.

“Excellent class! Way to go, stars for all of you,” Chaewon said as she moved towards the class chart and stuck stars on the rows of each student.

“Okay, now I want all of you to do something,” Chaewon said as she walked to a nearby shelf and grabbed several sheets of white paper. “For today’s activity, I want all of you to look at each other and draw the body parts associated with each sense!”

Chaewon asked another question as she started handing out papers for each child on each table to draw on.

“What are the body parts you need for the five sense again?”

The class started to answer in chorus for a second time with the same drawling fashion, and Minju noticed Chaewon looking at her, the same mischievous smile on her face.

Minju knows what to do this time, but without sending a sneer towards Chaewon first, who only seemed to smile at her even more.

“Eeeyes, noooose, toooounge, eeeears, and haaaands…”

Minju was about to say skin, which was the more correct answer, but she figured preschoolers didn’t need to be technically correct yet.

She realized she should stop thinking like the snarky adult that she usually was. She was in a preschool, for goodness’ sake.

“That’s correct, good job guys,” she heard Chaewon speak up again. “Now, I want each of you to look at the nearest  _ kid _ next to you,” Chaewon put emphasis on the word “kid” and looked at Minju again, who this time had the look of someone who was attacked out of the blue, her mouth slightly agape. 

Chaewon would have laughed out loud if she weren’t teaching a class right now.

“And try to copy how those body parts look like! It doesn’t have to be perfect, just as long as we can recognize the parts. Don’t forget to be as creative as you can, okay? You can use all the crayons that you have on your tables,” she continued.

“Yes!” the children answered collectively.

“Alright, all of you can start now! I can’t wait to see all your pretty drawings.”

A ruffle of papers was heard throughout the whole classroom as the children started working on their drawings. It didn’t take long for the young voices of the children to start filling up the room as they discussed with their friends how they were going to do their drawings.

Chaewon was walking around the room to monitor the progress of each drawing, as well as the behavior of the students. As she got to Minju’s table, she looked at the younger girl who was just watching the kids on her table draw on their papers with the crayons they picked out from the crayon box in the middle of the table.

She sat down on her heels to match Minju’s height from sitting down, and called for the attention of the other girl with a poke of a finger.

“Hey,” she called out to her.

Minju turned to look at the doctor-slash-preschool-teacher-for-today.

“Yeah?”

Chaewon gestured towards the stack of papers and the crayon box on the table with a tilt of her head.

“You should draw, too.”

Minju creased her eyebrows at what Chaewon said, confusion evident on her face. She pointed her index figure at her to confirm what she heard.

The older girl just nodded at her.

She sighed. “Fine,” she said as she moved to reach for her own share of sheets of paper and some crayons.

Chaewon smiled at Minju again, and stood up to walk around the room once more.

Minju silently admits to herself that she likes it when Chaewon smiles at her.

She decided that she was going to draw the eyes first. She held a crayon on her hand and started thinking how she should draw it.

A pair of lush brown orbs almost hidden by orange bangs appeared in her mind, and her hand immediately started to move by itself.

Now Minju was no artist, but she secretly hoped her hand was able to translate on paper the image in her mind accurately. She worked on her drawing with fervor, switching from black to brown and even using a white crayon at times, passionately sketching the eyes. 

After a few minutes of concentration, she was able to finish her drawing. She raised her paper to eye-level to look at it properly.

...Yep, she was definitely  _ not _ an artist.

It would be an insult to the beautiful eyes she dedicated this drawing to if she says she tried to copy them. Well, at least she tried.

“Are those Doctor Chaewon’s eyes?” Minju heard her seatmate ask her about her drawing.

She felt her heart drop to her stomach the moment she heard that.

Minju turned to look at the kid beside her slowly, who was glancing back and forth between her and the drawing of the eyes in great interest.

She gulped, asking the child a question in great care.

“What made you say that…?”

“Because those eyes,” the little girl pointed at Minju’s drawing with a short index finger, and Minju followed the finger as she directed it towards Chaewon who was helping out another kid at the table next to theirs. “Definitely look like the doctor’s eyes.”

She felt her cheeks heating up again. She scoffed and was about to sputter out something to contradict the girl’s claim (though she knew to herself it will only sound like an excuse) when she saw Chaewon noticing the finger pointed at her, glancing at Minju and her seatmate.

_ Oh crap. _

Minju noticed Chaewon making her way to  _ their _ table.

She immediately took a new sheet of paper and started sketching a new body part, even without a clear image on what to draw next.

“How’s it going over here, Sorim?” 

Minju heard Chaewon ask the little girl beside her, causing her to suddenly become hyper-aware of the presence besides her.

She chanced a glimpse at the older girl, who was kneeling down on the carpeted floor with her elbows on the table, leaning in to properly see the progress of the little girl named Sorim.

Sorim raised a paper with a sketch of a pair of eyes made mainly with black elliptical crayon streaks, with one iris colored entirely of hot pink and the other sky blue. 

Minju thought the heterochromatic eyes looked cute, and apparently so did Chaewon, judging from the fond smile the doctor gave from looking at the drawing.

“Those are really good eyes, Sorim! I really like it,” Chaewon said to the girl.

“Thank you, Doctor Chaewon!” the girl said with a toothy grin.

Chaewon turned her attention towards Minju.

“How about you, Minju?”

Minju felt the blush creeping back up to her face as she averted her eyes from Chaewon and just looked down at the scribbles she made on her paper.

“Minju-unnie drew your eyes, doctor,” they suddenly heard Sorim speak up.

Minju slowly turned to look at the child beside her as if she was a ghost, and at that time she wanted nothing more than for the ground to completely swallow her up.

“Really?” Chaewon quipped, tilting her head to look at Minju in interest. “Would you mind if I looked at your drawing and see if it  _ does _ look like mine, Minju?”

The “artist” in question wasn’t able to do anything but let out a deep sigh.

If she was going to play preschooler with Chaewon, then that means she still needed her papers graded.

She can’t help but feel spiteful, though.

“Do what you want,” she muttered, her eyes closed and covered her face with her hands to save herself from further embarrassment (as well as to prevent Chaewon to see her face, which probably looked like a ripe tomato now).

She heard soft ruffling in front of her as Chaewon lift the paper with Minju’s drawing of the eyes.

“Hm…” Chaewon hummed as looked at the drawing.

A silent while passed, and Minju didn’t hear anything from the older girl. She wondered what was taking so long for her to comment, so she removed a finger from covering her eye and peeked at Chaewon.

She saw the girl looking at the drawing softly, a small smile on her lips. Seeing that her reaction was far from the worst, Minju slowly lowered her hands from her face, even if it was still a blushing red.

Chaewon then shifted her view from the drawing to Minju, her smile not disappearing.

“Yep, it definitely looks like my eyes,” she playfully said.

“See, I told you it was the doctor’s eyes,” Sorim commented from the side.

Minju just wanted to shush the little girl so she won’t be exposed to humiliation any further.

“Good work, Minju. I should give you a star for attempting an amazing feat such as drawing my eyes,” Chaewon told her, the mischief in her voice still present.

Minju decided to fight back.

“Of course, teacher. I think I deserve that star,” she said triumphantly.

“I’m glad you said so,” Chaewon answered as she reached for the sticker pack on her back pocket, her smile only growing by the second.

She peeled off a star from the pack and let it rest on her finger. Chaewon then extended her arm to reach Minju’s face, the finger with the sticker on it pointing at it.

Minju then felt the star sticking on her skin as she watched Chaewon stuck it on her cheek, just below the corner of her right eye.

“There goes your star,” Chaewon said cheekily, her smile growing into a full grin now.

Minju raised a hand to touch the metallic texture of the star on her cheek, then turned to Chaewon, looking unimpressed at the older girl’s antics.

How much time has Chaewon spent teaching in this daycare exactly? She’s starting to think that the kids are rubbing off on this woman.

“How do I look?” she asked the orange-haired woman beside her.

Chaewon smiled up at her.

“You look really cute.”

Minju scoffed at the girl, but her heart started beating erratically again.

She was supposed to be annoyed at Chaewon, but why the  _ hell _ was she blushing?

“T-Thanks,” she muttered under her breath, but Chaewon caught it

“You’re welcome,” Chaewon replied.

“Um, doctor…” Sorim piped up all of a sudden.

The two adults then turned their attention to the little girl on the side.

“What is it, Sorim?”

“Um… I don’t know how to draw hands…” the child mumbled almost inaudibly, her baby cheeks flaring up to a pink shade.

“Oh, this one’s easy,” Minju said to the girl. “Let me show you how.”

She gently took Sorim’s hands and laid them flat on top of a clean sheet of paper, then picked out a random crayon from her own stack.

“This is the easiest way to draw hands, you can even teach your friends how to do it,” Minju told Sorim, who was paying her full attention to what her older seatmate was teaching her.

Chaewon quietly looked on from the side, observing what was happening in front of her.

“First, you put a hand on the paper just like this, then you trace the shape with your crayon like this,” Minju explained as she started to trace the younger girl’s hands, starting the outer sides, the crayon going up and down as it went through the fingers. She did the same for the other girl’s hand.

She put down the crayon when she was done, and gently took off Sorim’s hands from the paper to reveal the finished product.

“See? Now you have a drawing of a pair of hands!” she told Sorim, who was looking at the drawing of the hands in amazement.

“Woooooow,” the girl exclaimed.

Minju grinned. “Here, how about you try to draw by yourself?” she said as she grabbed another empty sheet and put it in front of Sorim.

Sorim mimicked the method that Minju just taught her, placing her left hand on the paper and tracing it with the crayon of her choice. When she finished, she lifted her hand off, and looked at the drawn outline of her hand on the paper.

“See? Easy, right?” 

The girl’s face lit up instantly. “Uhuh! Thank you, Minju-unnie!”

Minju patted the girl’s hair softly.

“Don’t mention it, Sorim.”

She then turned to Chaewon, who was smiling softly at them, her eyes full of adoration.

Though Minju was only able to catch that look for a split second.

“Mm-hmm,” the older girl said, donning a face of agreement for the scene that just played out. She was rubbing her chin as if she was stroking a non-existent beard.

Minju chuckled at the sight.

“Not bad,” Chaewon said to her. “You should give this whole teaching preschoolers gig a try, you seem to be pretty good at it.”

The younger girl just rolled her eyes (again) at Chaewon and shook her head.

She then proceeded to make a drawing of a hand for herself. She put her left hand on a sheet of paper and traced it with a black crayon.

Sorim looked over at Minju’s hand drawing, and took notice of something. She then started to glance back and forth between her drawing and Minju’s.

“Unnie, why is your hand bigger than mine?” the little girl asked. “I want my drawing to fill up the paper, just like yours.”

“That’s because big girls like me and your Minju-unnie have bigger hands, Sorim,” Chaewon started to explain.

The little girl then creased her eyebrows and jutted out her bottom lip, an indication that she was thinking of a possible explanation to clear her confusion.

“So…” the child started to voice out her formulated answer. “If you’re a bigger girl, you’ll have bigger hands?”

Chaewon nodded. “That’s right. When you get older, you grow bigger. When you grow bigger, every part of your body grows bigger too, including your hands.”

“Oooh,” Sorim said as she finally understood. 

Sorim’s next question caught the two adults off-guard.

“Then, whose hand is bigger between Minju-unnie and Doctor Chaewon?” 

Chaewon and Minju just stared at the girl for a few seconds, their eyes looking like they were about to pop off their sockets.

The eldest of the three girls spoke up first, clearing her throat as she turned her head to look at Minju again.

“Why don’t we find out?”

Chaewon held up a hand to Minju, as if waiting for a high five.

The younger girl knew what Chaewon wanted to do.

She held up a hand of her own and moved it nearer Chaewon’s, the skin of their palms barely touching each other.

And, remembering the countless times she held the older girl’s hand all those years ago, Chaewon’s hand had always been smaller than hers.

It was bare minimum skin contact, Minju knew, but she still couldn’t help but blush because of it.

How many times has she blushed today, even from the most mundane things?

(Minju noted that even from the slight touch, Chaewon’s hands were as soft as she remembered.)

However, when she glanced at Chaewon, whose eyes were still fixed on their palms stuck together, she noticed that the older girl was getting red as well.

Looks like she wasn’t the only one affected by what they were doing.

“Oooh, I see,” Sorim voiced out from beside them, her mouth shaped like an “o” and her head nodding in understanding.

“Doctor Chaewon’s hand is smaller than Minju-unnie’s hand, then does that mean Doctor Chaewon is younger than Minju-unnie?” they heard Sorim ask in earnesty.

Minju understood what the little girl implied, and this gave her the idea that it was her turn to take a jab at Chaewon.

She smirked at the older girl, and Chaewon didn’t miss the playful glint in Minju’s eyes.

“You’re  _ absolutely _ right, Sorim,” Minju said, the teasing lilt on her voice evident but only directed at Chaewon. “Compared to me, Doctor Chaewon is still a  _ kid _ .”

Chaewon’s face turned a brighter shade of pink as she blushed harder, almost looking like it had the same shade as the pink tips on her hair.

_ Ha, finally got you, you sly woman!  _ Minju thought to herself as she inwardly gave a fist-pump.

“Well, that makes sense. The doctor  _ does _ look really young,” Sorim continued.

Chaewon huffed and rolled her eyes, finally removing her palm from Minju’s. She then proceeded to say something to the youngest in their table as she gave Minju a glare.

“Well, that’s not always the case, Sorim. But that’s a lesson for another time.”

As soon as Chaewon finished that, the bell’s sound filled the room, signifying the end of the period.

Chaewon then stood up from her position and caught the attention of the class.

“Okay kids, time’s up! You can continue your masterpieces next time,” she said as she started giving out instructions. “You can take those home and show your parents you the amazing drawings you did today. Just don’t forget to bring them next class!”

The children then started shuffling among themselves and stuffing their small bags with the output from today, eager to leave the class to meet their chaperones outside. Once again, they greeted Chaewon and Minju with a bow, this time to bid farewell. Then, one by one, they eagerly walked to the exit of the classroom.

Chaewon and Minju stayed behind to tidy up the room, placing stray crayons back to their respective boxes, and putting away the used papers to the recyclables. They arranged the chairs properly and made their way out of the room together.

“What’s next?” Minju asked Chaewon as they got out the room, greeting the guardians who were now with their children.

“The kids have playtime next,” Chaewon explained. “Somebody else will stand as the ‘P.E. teacher’, so we’ll just be staying over at the gazebo. But if the kids want us to play with them, we aren’t allowed to say no.”

When the two adults got to the reception desk of the daycare, Chaewon picked up a white box, that Minju learned was a first-aid kit. The doctor opened it up to examine the contents inside, and after a while she closed it and grabbed the handle.

“For the unavoidable scrapes on the knees,” Chaewon said to Minju, smiling. She got a light chuckle from the other girl as a reply.

They got to the gazebo outside, and were greeted by a few grandmothers who were already sitting in it after being dragged out by the kids they were looking after who were too excited for playtime.

After a few more minutes with Chaewon putting down the first aid kit on the middle table and the two of them sitting down on one of the benches, the whole class that they were with just rushed out of the building and into the field to start a game of tag. The guardians who were accompanying the children then made their way to sit under the gazebo’s roof as well.

It wasn’t long until the boisterous laughter from the children chasing each other and playing different games filled up the whole vicinity of the daycare.

Minju watched the scene of kids running around on the field, several scattered across it. There were kids playing tag, some girls playing hopscotch to the side, others were wreaking havoc in the playground nearby. What stood out to her the most was that every child’s face had the bliss of youth evident on them; faces that showed not a single care in the world.

How she wishes she could be a kid again.

“Good work today, Doctor.”

Both Minju and Chaewon turned to look at the woman who called out to the orange-haired doctor, and noticed that she was handing out water bottles for the both of them.

“And to this kind miss, as well,” she added, referring to Minju with a smile.

“Thank you,” Minju said as she received the water from the older woman.

“Ah, Mrs. Yoon,” Chaewon greeted the woman with a bow before reaching for her water from her as well. “Sorim was really attentive to class today. Have you seen her drawings?”

“Yes! She showed me some of her work earlier. I get the feeling that daughter of mine is gonna be an artist someday, she’s already showing great promise with her recent drawings,” the mother explained.

“I agree,” Chaewon said, nodding her head. “She seems to be particularly interested in the activities that are related to drawing.”

“Ah, by the way,” Chaewon started as she moved to introduce Minju to Mrs. Yoon. “This is Kim Minju, she sat beside Sorim during class and taught her how to draw hands.”

Minju and Sorim’s mother bowed at each other.

“Thank you for helping out Sorim earlier, we really appreciate it.”

“Please, it was no trouble. Sorim is a very talented girl,” she told the mother.

“Doctor!”

All three women turned to the voice who called out and saw little Sorim running towards them.

Sorim stopped in front of them, completely out of breath from sprinting the distance from the field to the gazebo.

(It wasn’t really a long distance, but Minju guessed since the girl still had short legs, it was twice the effort to run compared to her.)

“D-Doctor… huff… can… can you please… huff...” the little girl started talking, unable to finish her sentence properly as she was heaving her chest to get air back to her lungs, her hands on her knees.

“Sorim, breathe first, child,” her mother chided. “The doctor won’t be able to understand if you speak like that.”

The little girl straightened her back and inhaled deeply, holding it, and exhaled. After a few more minutes, she tried talking to the doctor again, this time being able to say what she wanted to say properly.

“Doctor Chaewon, can you join us for a game of hopscotch? The boys are joining and we need another person for the girls’ team.”

“Hopscotch?” she glanced at Minju as if to confirm what the little girl was saying, then turning back to Sorim. “Alright, sure. But I should warn you, I’m not really good at the game.”

Chaewon stood up and held Sorim’s hand, smiling at Mrs. Yoon and Minju.

“We’ll be right back. Watch the kit for me, yeah?” she asked Minju in particular.

“Come on, hurry! We have to start soon,” Sorim said as she dragged the helpless doctor towards the field.

The two women who remained in the gazebo couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“The doctor has such a kind heart,” Mrs. Yoon started with her eyes not leaving the playing children (and one adult) in front, effectively catching Minju’s attention. The mother then turned to look at her young companion.

“How long have you known the doctor?” she asked Minju.

“Um, well,” Minju thought of the right words to say. How can she answer that question without revealing too much to be the subject of gossip?

“For a while now,” she settled on those words. “We met in high school.”

“Ah, then you must really know her,” the mother smiled.

_ More than what’s comfortable, at least.  _ Minju thought to herself as she gave the older woman a polite smile.

“Everybody who lives here thinks it’s a blessing from above when she arrived here, about two months ago,” Mrs. Yoon said as she recalled the first time they saw Chaewon. 

“We all thought she was just going to be another tourist who keeps to herself, but it didn’t turn out that way at all. One day she just started helping out around town as much as she could. We would see her working in the corn fields in the early mornings, making some deliveries here and there with the truck the Kwon family lent her, and helping out both the elderly and the children of Deokjeokdo.”

Mrs. Yoon turned her head to look at some of the grandmothers behind them, Minju doing the same to follow her line of sight.

“Those grandmothers over there, you could say they’re ‘regulars’ of the doctor’s over at the health center. Ever since she started helping out they always come to her when they have problems with their aging body, even if it’s not Doctor Kim’s specialty,” the older woman started explaining.

They turned to the front again, going back to watching the children play with the doctor. 

It was Chaewon’s turn to throw her stone marker. The doctor leaned in as she stretched her arm out to accurately place her marker in the correct numbered box, her face solemn with concentration. She gently tossed it with a flick of her wrist, and the stone successfully landed on the box she needed it to be.

There was an eruption of cheers, both coming from the single adult in the field and the pool of children around her.

The people watching in the gazebo laughed collectively at the sight.

“But you know the best thing about the doctor? It’s when she  _ actually _ does her job as a psychiatrist,” Mrs. Yoon said with a chuckle. “Most doctors can patch up wounds on any part of the body, but not all can heal wounds on the heart. It takes someone special to do that, someone who really listens.”

Minju noticed the older lady’s eyes soften as she watched Chaewon hop around the hopscotch court, the children around her watching intently, the girls in particular praying silently that no blunder would come in her way.

“It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the doctor mended a lot of broken hearts around the island,” Mrs. Yoon continued her story, her voice shifting into a more sombre tone. “Whether it be a grandmother mourning for the loss of a loved one, or a child who had problems in their family, she would be able to help them become better.”

The younger girl shifted her eyes towards Chaewon, her orange hair glistening under the sun. It seemed like the girls’ team won, and the children were doing a victory celebration of circling around their older teammate, Chaewon sporting a triumphant smile for being the one who earned their win. The boys who played with them were frowning, some of them demanding a rematch with another game.

Minju’s heart felt warm as she watched the happy sight. Just learning about how Chaewon was helping almost all of the people in the island, who she was virtually strangers with just a few months ago, gave her a joyful pride. 

Chaewon always loved to help people, she remembers, even before she got her license as a doctor. It seemed like that passion just became more apparent and stronger when she finally earned her right to don a white coat.

“Although, I just wish…”

Minju turned to Mrs. Yoon once more to hear what the older woman was about to say, the soft smile now replaced by a frown of worry.

Mrs. Yoon sighed.

“As much as the doctor helps everyone, I wish there was someone who could help her, too.”

What the older woman said made Minju turn her body slightly to further put her attention on what she just heard, her eyes now directed at the woman in a questioning manner.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Mrs. Yoon’s frown grew deeper.

“I don’t know if it’s okay for me to talk about this, but…” she paused, taking a breath as she looked on at Chaewon playing a new game of tag with the children. 

“She may hide it in front of others well, and we would be none the wiser, but we could see the weariness in her eyes, too.”

She decided to continue what she was saying, Minju listening with complete attention.

“There’s a day every month that the doctor just completely disappears, and nobody could reach her. I mean, normally one would think it’s just her taking a day off, but I’ve heard stories of how she would be seen in the bistro by the beach until late at night, alone.”

The mother then turned to Minju, who had seriousness donning every feature of her face.

“But of course, during that one day, the bistro is closed, so nobody would really be able to tell if it’s true. I, for one, just think it’s all hearsay.”

Mrs. Yoon then held Minju’s hands in her own in an earnest fashion, then proceeded to look at Minju straight in the eyes.

“But, even if it’s true, and if you really are a friend of the doctor’s, please… Please never leave her side, Minju-ssi.”

Minju stared back at Mrs. Yoon’s eyes, which was dripping with utmost sincerity and concern for Chaewon. 

“You would be doing every single person of Deokjeokdo a huge favor if you did.”

Minju looked down at their hands as Mrs. Yoon tightened her hold on her, completely at a loss on what to do. She still had to process what the older woman implied, that Chaewon was probably hiding something, and now the whole island is counting on her to, what, actually  _ take care _ of Chaewon? 

She just barely met the older girl again after so many years, and as far as what she showed her, Chaewon is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She didn’t need to  _ devote _ herself to someone who is more a stranger to her than an acquaintance.

Besides, she had her own problems to attend to.

“I-I…”

She was about to answer Mrs. Yoon when her phone suddenly rang.

Minju retracted one of her hands from the mother’s hold and took her phone out of her pocket. Her eyes grew wide as she saw who was calling her.

“I’m sorry, but I have to take this,” she said, standing up and giving a slight bow to Mrs. Yoon out of politeness. She walked a little further away from the gazebo before accepting the call.

“Yena-unnie?”

_ “Kim Minju!” _

Minju had to move her phone away from her ear for a bit because her colleague who she left in Seoul practically shouted at her.

“Hey. What’s up?”

_ “What do you mean, ‘what’s up’?! You haven’t called in two days! I was worried sick!” _

Minju removed her phone from her ear a second time.

_ “I was beginning to think you didn’t arrive in Deokjeokdo! Wait, you  _ did _ arrive, right?!” _

“Yes, I did. Safely. That means you don’t have to overreact like that,” Minju told her fussing unnie, a smile on her face.

_ “Oh, oh. That’s good, then! I’m beyond relieved.”  _ Yena said, a sigh of relief escaping her lips.  _ “So how have you been? Is everything okay there for you? Or do I need to get on the next trip and beat someone up?” _

Minju laughed at the typical behavior exhibited by her unnie, putting a palm to her forehead.

“No, unnie, you don’t need to beat someone up. I’m doing fine here, I’m not skipping any meals or anything. And I met some good people,” she said, her eyes finding Chaewon chasing children down on the field as she did. “So you don’t have to worry about anything. For now, at least.”

_ “That’s really good to hear. I guess country folk are really kind, as they say,”  _ she heard Yena say.

“Yeah, I’m really glad that was the case. I thought I was gonna get kidnapped or something.”

_ “Oh? Why don’t you tell me how you’re doing there so far?” _

“Well it’s a pretty weird thing…”

Minju proceeded to tell Yena how she arrived at the island and got herself drunk right off the bat, much to the dismay of her older friend. She told her how she wasn’t able to show up at the inn’s alotted time to occupy her room, but was able to find a different place instead. She also went on to talk about how the locals were kind and accommodating, not to mention the good food.

Minju told Yena almost everything, omitting the parts where a certain orange-haired doctor was involved.

She felt like she didn’t need to tell Yena about her past lover and how she met her again of all places.

_ “Seems like a really good place! Now I’m thinking if I should go there to see for myself,” _ Yena said, laughing just as Minju finished telling her about her stay in Deokjeokdo so far.

“Yeah, I feel like you would like this place so much,” Minju said, agreeing with what her colleague said.

_ “Hmm, guess I’ll have to take an unplanned vacation then! Haha!” _

Minju scoffed at what she heard. “Yeah, as if the boss will let you easily, when you’re the only one left on the team.”

_ “Well, I’m loyal to him, all the more reason why he should let me take a break, right?” _

“Go shoot your shot, then?”

_ “Hm,”  _ Minju noticed a shift in Yena’s voice, something she couldn’t quite place.  _ “Maybe I will.” _

“Hey, Yena-unnie—”

_ “Oops, sorry Minju, gotta go! I’ll talk to you again soon, alright? Bye!” _

And just like that, Yena disconnected from their call.

Minju stared at her blank phone screen for a while, dumbfounded at what just transpired.

Yena was definitely being weird during that phone call, but she supposed the older girl was fine, considering the fact that Yena was always weird.

She shrugged it off and proceeded to return to her seat in the gazebo, continuing her front-seat view of Chaewon playing with the kids.

They were playing hide-and-seek now, Chaewon counting numbers down and the kids doing their best to find good foolproof hiding places from the adult.

“Sorry, a friend from some Seoul suddenly called,” she explained to Mrs. Yoon as soon as she got back, with the mother telling her it was fine.

“Aaaaahh!” 

All the adults in the gazebo whipped their heads towards the field as a shriek pierced through the air of the daycare.

Minju saw Chaewon’s orange hair fly through the air as she made haste towards the source of the shriek, which happened to be a boy. The doctor knelt down to the boy’s level, and in the distance, she watched Chaewon talk to him.

After a few minutes, she saw Chaewon stand up and picked the boy up, patting his head to calm him down.

Then she saw Chaewon making her way towards the gazebo.

Chaewon stopped in front of the Minju, a frown on her face directed at her, while the boy in her arms was trying to stop his tears from flowing any further down his cheeks.

Minju raised an eyebrow at Chaewon, completely confused as to why she was looking at her as if she had committed the worst crime, all the while having a crying kid with her.

“Sojoon,” Chaewon called to the boy she was carrying, but the scowl on her face unrelenting, her eyes never leaving Minju. “Can you repeat what you told me just now?”

“T-This noona… sniff…” the boy began speaking. He used the back of his hands to wipe the remaining tears on his face, although in a futile attempt. “T-This noona… she did something bad…”

Now Minju was just more confused as ever.

She had never even met this boy ever, not even in the class they were in earlier, but now he was accusing her of something she probably didn’t even do.

“What did she do, Sojoon-ah?” Chaewon asked.

“S-She… sniff…” Sojoon slowly pointed a finger at the spot where Minju was sitting.

“She sat down on the paper rose I made for her…”

Minju looked at the finger pointed at her, a dumbfounded face on her. It took her a few seconds to process what the boy just said, until it finally hit her.

She quickly stood up and looked at where she just sat down, and there she saw a crumpled piece of tissue that nowhere looked like what it was claimed to be.

The culprit who killed the paper rose immediately looked back at the two in front of her, Sojoon on the verge of tears again and Chaewon scrutinizing her disapprovingly, her head shaking.

“What do you want us to do with this criminal, Sojoon?” Chaewon asked, continuing the pretense of a bully on her.

(Minju was  _ definitely _ sure the older girl was enjoying the bullying. She couldn’t believe she can’t do anything to help the situation for herself.)

Mrs. Yoon gave out a chuckle at the scene playing in front of them, along with all those within the vicinity of the gazebo who were watching from the sidelines.

“Doctor, you shouldn’t bully the newcomer,” one of the mothers called out to Chaewon.

As much as Minju thought she should feel helpless and offended with everything going on, she knew everything was just in jest. She couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation, especially with how Chaewon was acting.

Chaewon was always playful anyway. 

(And before, she was the victim of that playfulness. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t fight back from time to time, though.)

She tried to suppress her laugh, but her lips breaking out into a wide grin was betraying her. Chaewon raised an eyebrow at her, still looking at her defiantly, this time her lips forming into an adorable pout that seemed to mirror Sojoon’s.

“What are you laughing at? You think this is funny?” the older girl told her in mock anger.

Minju just smiled at her, then moved to hold Sojoon’s hand while the boy was still in Chaewon’s arms. She then looked at the boy straight at his eyes, and gave her sincerest smile as she told him her apology.

“Sojoon-ah,” Minju began, her voice becoming soft for the boy. “I’m really sorry, for sitting on your paper rose, noona didn’t see where she was sitting. Can you forgive me?”

Sojoon just looked at Minju, still unbelieving. He then turned around and wrapped his arms on Chaewon’s neck, not wanting to see the offender.

Minju glanced at Chaewon, silently asking for help. She saw the older girl’s face didn’t have the fake scowl anymore, instead melting into a soft look as she smiled at Minju.

She nodded at the younger girl, urging her to continue speaking to Sojoon.

Minju put a hand on the boy’s back, gently patting his back to comfort him.

“Sojoon-ah, I’m really sorry. What can I do so you can forgive me?”

A low mutter was heard from the boy who still had his back towards Minju, muffled as his face was half-covered in Chaewon’s shoulder.

“...That was supposed to be a present for the prettiest person…” 

Both of the adults who heard what he said raised their eyebrows in surprise, giving a chuckle after.

“How about this,” Minju said. “What if, we could make another paper rose together, one that’s a lot prettier, and you can give it to the prettiest person again? You don’t have to give it secretly this time.”

The boy in Chaewon’s arms slowly turned around and peeked at Minju when he heard her offer.

“W-Would you do really do it with me…?” he slowly asked, his nose still sniffling from the aftermath of crying.

Minju nodded earnestly. “Yes! I’ll do it with you as many times as you want.”

Sojoon then turned fully and faced Minju again, slowly becoming open to her again.

“Okay.”

Minju let out a wide grin and held Sojoon’s hand just as he was gently put down by Chaewon. She spotted a few tissues from the table, and gently tugged on the boy’s hand.

“Let’s go?”

Sojoon silently nodded.

Chaewon then spoke up beside them.

“Hey, do you mind if I learn how to make paper roses with you guys too?” she asked, a tad bit sheepishly.

“Of course you can,” Minju answered Chaewon with a smile. “The more the merrier, right Sojoon?”

“Yeah,” the boy said, nodding shyly.

The two adults then led the boy to the table in the gazebo and sat down, with all the other guardians watching them fondly.

They each grabbed a few pieces of tissue paper and laid it flat on the table. Minju then addressed her two apprentices.

“Shall we start?”

The two nodded at her in enthusiasm.

  
  


\---

  
  


“...And then you stick them together like this, and you’re finally done!” Minju exclaimed.

The trio were able to make their respective paper roses, even sacrificing a few more pieces of tissue paper to make the perfect flowers. 

As they were making their roses, one by one the children left with their respective guardians, not forgetting to bid farewell to Chaewon and Minju. Even little Sorim waved goodbye to the pair of adults as Mrs. Yoon led themselves home. It was only when they were done making their crafts that they noticed that they were the only ones left in the gazebo.

“Wow, this is way better than what I made earlier,” Sojoon said in awe at what he made.

“Yeah, and you did that all by yourself. We’re proud of you, Sojoon,” Chaewon said as she patted the boy’s head.

“Sojoon-ah!”

Just then, they heard a woman’s voice call out the boy’s name from the entrance of the daycare.

All three looked up to see who it was, and saw the woman walking towards them.

“Oh, it’s your mom, Sojoon,” Chaewon told Sojoon who was beside her.

The mother greeted the boy’s company with a bow as soon as she arrived at the gazebo. Chaewon and Minju greeted her back with bows of their own.

“Hello, Doctor. I’m here to take Sojoon home. Thank you for staying with him until I got here.”

Chaewon smiled at her. “It was no problem. We were just making paper roses with Sojoon.”

“Oh, paper roses?” the mom asked, smiling down at her son who was becoming noticeably red. “For who, if I may ask? Does he have a crush as early as this age?”

“Mom!” Sojoon called out, chastising his own mother.

The adults giggled as they found the actions of the shy boy cute.

“I’m not sure if it’s really a crush, all he said was that he was gonna give it to the ‘prettiest noona’,” Chaewon explained, looking pointedly at Minju, to which the mother followed, smiling as well.

This gave Minju an idea.

She crouched down to Sojoon’s height, just enough to whisper in his ear.

“Hey, you said you were gonna give that to the prettiest person right?” she asked, her voice at a volume only for Sojoon to hear.

The boy nodded, looking at her.

“Then, don’t you think your mom is the prettiest person?” she asked again, this time with a tone that sounded like she was urging an idea to appear in the boy's mind.

The boy’s eyes widened slightly and his mouth formed a small “o” as he caught on to what Minju was saying.

Sojoon took his paper rose from the table and slowly made his way to his mother. He then reached the hand with the flower out to his mother, shyly urging her to take it.

“For the prettiest person in the world,” he said.

Sojoon’s mother became visibly touched by the endearing gesture by her son, her eyes filled with love only a mother is capable of producing for her child. She smiled at her son as she knelt down in front of him, a hand caressing the boy’s hair as she looked at him tenderly.

“Aww, Sojoon,” she said. “When did you start becoming so much like your cheesy father?”

The young women witnessing the scene in front of them gave a chuckle when they heard the older woman’s remark.

Chaewon and Minju watched as the mother let Sojoon put the paper rose on her ear, a feeling of melting by how adorable the sight was being mutually agreed on between them.

Sojoon’s mother then took her child’s hand and bowed, once again thanking the pair of ladies for looking out for Sojoon. They bade them farewell, Chaewon and Minju watching them as they slowly disappeared in the distance.

When they were finally out of sight, Chaewon then turned to Minju, taking a good look at the younger girl’s expression.

“I told you you wouldn’t regret it.”

Minju looked at Chaewon, the soft smile formed on her lips from all the activities with children for today not disappearing.

“It reminded of the daycare back then,” she mused.

“The one our old high school volunteers in?” Chaewon asked.

“Yeah…” Minju muttered out, a sad smile suddenly on her lips as she remembered something from their shared past.

This didn’t go unnoticed by her older companion.

Minju was looking down on the ground in a somber mood after having the sudden memory from the past when she felt a hand moved her hair to put it behind her right ear. When she looked up, she saw Chaewon putting the paper rose she made earlier on her exposed ear.

She looked at Chaewon completely surprised at what the older girl did, who only had another one of her signature blank faces on. She couldn’t guess what was running on Chaewon’s mind right now, and she doesn’t even know if wanted to know.

“For the prettiest person…” Chaewon said, her words trailing off as she let her hand down back to her side, her eyes then shifting to see Minju’s own.

Minju wasn’t able to do anything but stare, feeling heat rise up to her cheeks again.

“...supposedly.” 

When those words came out of Chaewon’s mouth, Minju was finally able to look away, giving out a small laugh at the older girl’s teasing.

“Well, at least I know I’m still pretty,” the younger girl countered back.

Chaewon just gave her a smile.

Minju can’t help but feel like there was something more to that smile.

Chaewon looked away herself, just before Minju could figure anything out.

“Anyway,” the young doctor said. “We should probably head out.”

The pair then started walking back to the car, bowing to some of the teachers that passed by them to thank them for doing a good work for today.

“Where to now?” Minju asked as they get settled inside the car and Chaewon starting the engine.

“Sightseeing,” Chaewon said with an enthusiastic grin.

Minju’s eyes lit up in excitement, mirroring the older girl’s grin with one of her own.

“But first,” Chaewon asked. “How does lunch sound?”

The younger girl’s eyes lit up even more.

“Sounds amazing.”

They gave each other smiles again as Chaewon drove the car out the daycare and back on the road, making their way towards Feathers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey y'all, I don't read comments much so if any of you have questions, head over to @seungchaeng over at Twitter and ask away either via cc or dm. Thank you for reading and hope you're enjoying the story so far! :D


	4. chapter ii

_ The school bell echoed throughout every nook and cranny of the school, signaling the end of the final period, and with it the end of classes for today. _

_ The students of Jungshin High School slowly filed out of their classroom one by one, some of them heading towards their respective clubrooms, while the others headed straight home, being affiliated with no extra-curricular activity whatsoever. _

_ Freshman Kim Minju was waiting for a friend by the hallway just outside their classroom, fiddling with the strap of her backpack as her friend was still inside their room getting ready to head home for the day.  _

_ Her first day at her new school was eventful, relatively speaking. She had to give a speech to the whole freshman class as she got the highest score on the school’s entrance exam, to which she was definitely unprepared for. Fortunately, she was able to squeak out some coherent words when she stood at the podium despite her nervousness. Her hands were all sweaty throughout the whole ordeal, firmly planted on the cloth of her pleated skirt as she did her best to fight the urge to wipe them on it constantly. _

_ She gave out the biggest sigh of relief once she stepped down from the stage and went back to her seat. _

_ Minju never knew high schools did this. Then again, the whole school seemed like it was the type to show off, so maybe this was the only school in all of South Korea to hold opening ceremonies like this. _

_ Once she got to her designated classroom, all eyes were on her. Minju never really liked being the center of attention, it made her feel uncomfortable. Her shy demeanor did not help her in any situation where socializing was included at all. So when her homeroom teacher told her to go to her desk, she made her way towards it with her head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone she would call classmates from now on. _

_ At recess, however, all the girls flocked to her desk and immediately introduced themselves, offering their food to her as they started talking amongst themselves to start the beginnings of a friendly relationship. _

_ Minju may be shy in front of strangers, but she can immediately tell if they were good people. Her classmates looked like they all were, which made her thank the heavens above silently.  _

_ She found it fun conversing throughout the day with her newly-found friends. _

_ “Kim Minju, how are you so pretty?” _

_ “I-I’m—” _

_ “That’s right! When you walked up to the stage you were easily the prettiest girl in the whole school!” _

_ “Are you  _ sure _ you’re not a trainee to become an idol or something?” _

_ “Uh, I don’t think—” _

_ “Don’t be silly, of  _ course _ she isn’t a trainee! She wouldn’t go through all the trouble of getting her ass stuck in this place for the next three years if she were.” _

_ “Guess you’re stuck with us normal humans in this school for spoiled rich kids, Minju. That means we gotta look out for each other.” _

_ “We needed the scholarship, that’s why we risked being involved with the snobs here.” _

_ Minju was thankful she was already surrounded by reliable people and nothing like the student council president she met a few months back. _

_ The group of girls stuck with each other, getting to know each other and learning that they all came from different walks of life, sharing stories from whatever topic came up in their conversation. _

_ Minju suddenly got called to the faculty office during last period, where she was introduced to the whole teaching and administrative staff. She got flustered all over again, with all the old people involved in running the school suddenly shaking her hand left and right and asking if she came from what she assumes what passes their standard of a “reputable” family. _

_ All she gave them was how her parents were simple people living honest lives and doing hard work. _

_ She returned to the classroom just as the teacher dismissed her class and the final bell rang, to which her friends who were not interested in joining clubs invited her to hang out after school. She packed up her things from her desk and opted to wait for her friends at the hallway. _

_ Which turned out to be a mistake, she soon learned. _

_ “Kim Minju-ssi?” _

_ She turned around to see who it was, and tried to hide her disturbed expression when she found out the voice belonged to none other than the student council president. _

_ The male senior combed his hair back with his fingers, the black of his mane shining as usual with the abnormal amount of grease he put in it. He then flashed a smile (more like a lopsided smirk) at the underclassman, whose mind was already running a mile a minute thinking of ways to get out of the situation. _

_ “What a surprise,” the boy with the usual nauseating musk surrounding him started. “I was actually just going around school seeing if the freshmen have settled, but I didn’t expect to see you here,” he said, his eyebrows wiggling. _

Bullshit.

_ Minju called on his farce in her mind while keeping a polite face. He was still an upperclassman after all. _

Didn’t this guy said he read my profile, he couldn’t have just forgotten I was a freshman here.

_ Suddenly her friend who she was waiting for came skipping out the door of their classroom and into the hallway, where her eyes caught sight of Minju. _

_ “Minju, hey, ready to go—” _

_ She caught herself mid-sentence, seeing how there was another person in their company. She immediately recognized who the other person was, and couldn’t help but scrunch her nose up in dislike. Even without saying anything, Minju’s classmate couldn’t hide her obvious disgust for the student council president. _

_ Looks like Minju just found another reason to like her new friend. _

_ “Anyway, Minju-ssi,” the overconfident male in front of them continued speaking to her, paying no attention to the new girl who just arrived. “Let me show you around campus. It’s my duty as student council president to show newcomers around and to keep them from getting lost in school grounds, so I think you’ll be needing the help  _ and _ the company.” _

_ Minju’s friend just gagged beside her, and she herself was trying her damn hardest to not laugh and shoe a face of disgust herself. _

_ But the boy didn’t react to the obvious jab at him. Either he continued to ignore Minju’s companion’s hidden insult or he was just plain thick-headed. _

_ “Well? What do you say?” _

_ “Um, I…” _

_ Minju racked her brain to find a very polite excuse to turn his offer down because something tells her that this guy wouldn’t take simple no as an answer no matter how much you give it to him. _

_ Just then the two girls watched as the way too brilliant (in a literal sense) head of the student council president got hit at the back with a long black object, which looked like a record book of some sorts. The struck head visibly jerked at the impact, and the younger girls watched as his face melted from a “chic” but sleazy expression into that of wild anger as he got ready to tell off whoever had the nerve to strike his precious head. _

_ “Who the fuck—?!” the president said, his earlier cool demeanor chucked out the window. _

_ All three people turned to see a girl holding the offending black book, an unimpressed expression on her face.  _

_ Their eyes widened as they recognized who the girl was: it was the student council vice president. _

_ Minju couldn’t help but blush at the sight of her crush too. _

_ (She admitted to herself that the older girl she met at the daycare was indeed a secret crush now, and she may or may not have spent her vacation prior to her first day stalking her in all available social media.) _

_ “Kim Chaewon!” the only male in the area exclaimed as he started sending the newly-arrived girl a death glare. _

_ “What do you think you’re doing harassing the first-years?” Chaewon deadpanned as she brought her raised hand holding the book down. _

_ If the glare directed at the eldest girl sent by the boy got any more dangerous, it did. _

_ “‘Harrassing’?! Don’t accuse me of such senseless things—” _

_ “Yeah yeah, sure. Aren’t you supposed to be doing something right now instead of wasting your time like this?” _

_ The boy visibly stiffened up as he adjusted the tie on his neck and pushed a visible lump down his throat. _

_ “I don’t what you’re talking about.” _

_ It was Chaewon’s turn to glare at her colleague’s audacity to lie. _

_ “You  _ literally _ have paperwork waiting for you at the council room, and you’re out here fishing freshmen  _ on their first day _?” _

_ The president stepped up to Chaewon and looked down on her, using his height over the shorter girl to his advantage, trying to look menacing. _

_ The air between them suddenly turned cold as the two seniors looked at each other with such intensity. Minju could have sworn there were sparks at the spot where their glares connected halfway. _

_ “Watch your tone with me, Kim. Or are you forgetting your place?” _

_ Chaewon didn’t back down from his threat, her glare at the boy intensifying, saying her next words slowly but full of venom. _

_ “Get back to work.” _

_ The student council president continued to glare at the vice president before backing up reluctantly. He then finally stepped away and turned his back, making his way back to his workplace, his heavy steps against the floor echoing throughout the hallway. _

_ The two younger girls who just witnessed the intense battle of nerves let out a breath they didn’t know they were holding at the same time, wiping the cold sweat off from their respective eyebrows. _

_ Minju watched as Chaewon visibly relaxed as the menacing boy disappeared from their sight as he turned a corner down the hallway, although maintaining a blank face. The older girl then opened her record book and took out a pen from inside, flipping through the pages quickly until she settled on one. _

_ “Class 1-A Kim Minju?” she called out to one of the freshman girls, her eyes never leaving whatever what was written on the record book. _

_ “Y-Yes?” Minju squeaked out, growing conscious of the senior’s presence all of a sudden as she felt a blush creep up to her cheeks. _

_ “You weren’t in class earlier when the student council did rounds for the club assignments. Where were you?” _

_ “I, uh, I was called to the faculty office,” Minju answered with a small and stuttering voice. _

_ Chaewon just nodded as she wrote something in her book. _

_ “Did you sign up for any clubs?” _

_ “Uh, I haven’t yet, I thought I’d be able to choose by tomorrow—” _

_ Chaewon didn’t let her finish as she finished writing in her book and closed it, immediately walking away once Minju answered her question without saying anything. _

_ Just like that. _

_ The two younger girls just gaped at the retreating back, completely flabbergasted at what just happened. _

_ “Did she just ditch you all of a sudden?” Minju heard her friend speak. _

_ “I’m just as surprised as you are,” she answered, turning to look at her friend still wide-eyed. _

_ “I heard rumors of the vice president being cold and aloof, but I didn’t think she would be  _ that _ much of a bitch.” _

_ “Hey, don’t be like that. Maybe she was just… busy, or something,” Minju chided at her friend, although not quite believing her words as well. _

_ She couldn’t help but question if the warm girl she met at the daycare was the same person who just walked away from them coldly a while ago. _

_ “I don’t know about you, but I don’t think you can justify a person’s shitty behavior even if she  _ is _ your crush,” she heard her friend say, which resulted to her suddenly becoming a sputtering mess. _

_ “W-W-What are you saying?! Who said anything about a crush?!” _

_ Her friend rolled her eyes at her. “Please, don’t even bother.” _

_ Minju huffed at what she said. “Whatever, let’s just go. I’m starving already.” _

_ The change of topic earned Minju an enthusiastic reaction from her companion. _

_ “Let’s go have jjajangmyeon!” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “...Unnie, I screwed up.” _

_ “What did you do?” _

_ “...I didn’t mean to treat her like a ghost or something…” _

_ A loud huff was heard. _

_ “Don’t worry, you’ll just have to try again.” _

_ “Here’s to hoping she doesn’t hate me…” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ A week after Minju’s encounter with the vice president of the student council, she was surprised to see the older girl’s familiar figure outside her classroom just as classes for the day ended. _

_ Minju immediately tensed up and avoided the upperclassman like the plague. She made an effort not to be seen by Chaewon, even holding up a book to her face to avoid detection. She opted to slowly walk far away from the girl before she was spotted by her. _

_ Unfortunately, she was way too slow. _

_ “Kim Minju.” _

_ Minju jumped at her name being called. She uncovered her face and turned to the second-year, expecting a beating or some other scary stuff upperclassmen probably do to their juniors. _

_ “C-Chaewon-sunbaenim?” _

_ The older girl just sported a poker face and stepped closer to the frightened underclassman. _

_ “Still haven’t joined any clubs?” _

_ The younger girl shifted her eyes to the side for a while before focusing them back to Chaewon, just barely maintaining eye contact with her. _

_ “Um…” she muttered. “N-No, not yet.” _

_ Chaewon just looked at her for a beat before saying anything else. _

_ “Come with me,” the older girl spoke up, before starting to walk away. _

_ Minju was confused but she followed the vice president nonetheless, trying to keep up with Chaewon’s swift steps. _

_ Chaewon took her to the third floor, where most indoor clubs and other organizations’ designated rooms were found.  _

_ They stopped at a room adjacent to the student council room, and Minju noticed the label beside the door. _

Room 302

Journalism Club

What?

_ Minju was confused more than ever. _

_ Chaewon knocked on the door thrice, opening it when a voice from inside told them to come in. _

_ As the two girls got inside the clubroom, Minju couldn’t help but marvel at the interior of the room. It was chaotic in a way that was to be expected from the school paper’s headquarters.  _

_ Stacks of papers were everywhere, people on their personal computers typing, a bulletin board by the far wall that had too many flyers and pamphlets pinned to it that it looked like it had no available space for new things to post. Besides the board was a large calendar scribbled with different colored inks signifying important dates and details, with a prominent circle in bold red ink on a date that Minju assumed to be a deadline. The whiteboard was in a similar state as well, specific details are written on it that could have been used to write leads for articles. _

_ “Kim Chaewon!” a small voice called out. _

_ “Park Chaewon,” the vice president greeted back to a smaller girl with straight black hair who had a mechanical pencil on her ear, giving her a high five and followed it with finger guns. _

_ “I heard you were looking for new writers?” Minju heard the taller Chaewon ask. _

_ “Yeah! Damned first-years,” the short upperclassman expressed out her disappointment with a frown. “The moment we said we were barely in class they immediately backed out from joining the club.” _

_ “I don’t think you were supposed to say that when you want to recruit members…” _

_ “Yeah, well, screw them and their grade-conscious asses then. We don’t need people who can’t commit themselves to the school paper.” _

_ “Chaewon, your studies are supposed to be your priority…”  _

_ “Anyway, enough of that,” Park Chaewon dismissed the topic with a wave of her hand. “What brings you here today? Or did you think this was the student council room just because we’re neighbors?” _

_ “Actually,” Kim Chaewon started, turning to Minju who was behind her and putting a hand on the younger girl’s back, bringing her forward. “I’m here with a potential recruit for you.” _

_ The smaller girl directed her attention towards the freshman, her eyes squinting a bit. _

_ “Who’s she?” _

_ “This is Kim Minju, first-year. She wrote the article about the daycare event a few months back for her school.” _

_ Park Chaewon’s eyes widened in recognition of the younger girl. _

_ “Oh! That one,” she said, moving towards a stack of tabloids published by different schools that the club keeps for references. She pulled one out, and Minju immediately recognized the front page of her former school’s publication, her face feeling hot by the second. Park Chaewon went to the page where her written work was located and held it up to show the other girls. _

_ “You wrote this well, actually,” the smaller Park girl complimented her with a smile. “Still a little rough as expected of a middle schooler, but good nonetheless.” _

_ She then extended a hand towards Minju for a handshake. _

_ “I’m Park Chaewon, editor-in-chief of the school paper, second-year.” _

_ Minju took the outstreteched hand and shook it enthusiastically. _

_ “I’m Kim Minju, nice to meet you sunbaenim!” _

_ “Do you still need to screen her?” Kim Chaewon asked her same-aged friend. _

_ “Nah, I don’t think I have to. I already read this after all,” the journalist said, raising the tabloid in her hand. “Besides, we’re short on staff as it is. We don’t have time for screening anymore.” _

_ “Good, that’s nice to hear.” _

_ The student council vice president suddenly moved behind Minju and put her hands on both the youngest girl’s shoulders, grinning at her. _

_ “Looks like you got yourself a club now, Minju-ssi,” she said. “You up to it?” _

_ Minju immediately faced Chaewon and bowed in gratitude. _

_ “Yes, thank you!” she said, continuing to bow. “I thought the paper stopped recruiting so I didn’t sign up, but thank you for this, sunbaenim!” _

_ “Don’t mention it,” Chaewon said with a smile. She then directed her attention towards the other Chaewon.  _

_ “You better take care of her, or else…” _

_ The journalist cocked an eyebrow challengingly. _

_ “Or else what?” _

_ Kim Chaewon shifted her gaze to one of the papers pinned to the bulletin board, pointing it with an index finger. _

_ “That one’s void.” _

_ It was the club’s renewal for another year of operations, approved by the officer in the student council in charge of renewing clubs. _

_ Which was the vice president. _

_ Which was Kim Chaewon. _

_ “Oh, come on!” the editor-in-chief said in a sudden outburst. “We just got that yesterday!” _

_ The said vice president just shrugged, the other staff of the school paper who were present in the room giving out chuckles at her teasing. _

_ Park Chaewon just huffed. _

_ “Fine fine, it’s not like we’re gonna skin her alive or anything,” she said as she looked at Minju again.  _

_ “Welcome to the club, Minju-ssi!” _

_ Minju bowed again, this time to her new boss. _

_ “Thank you for having me! I’ll do my best!” _

_ Minju then turned to look at the senior who just helped her get into the only club she always wanted to join, her eyes twinkling in a mixture of thankfulness and excitement. _

_ Chaewon smiled at her and gave her two thumbs up in support, her own eyes twinkling in similar feelings for the girl. _

_ Maybe it was just Minju’s imagination, and maybe it was just at the spur of the moment, but she thought she saw something else in the older girl’s eyes. _

_ Not just something else.  _

_ She saw something more. _


	5. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight T/W: one-time non-graphic mention of child trafficking D:

“...We’re supposed to go up _there_?”

Chaewon looked at the expression on the younger girl’s face, taking note of the sheer horror on it. She chuckles as she found Minju’s reaction amusing, clearing her throat to try and hide it last minute.

After lunch at Feathers, Chaewon drove themselves to the entrance of the hiking trail to Bijobong Peak, one of the popular tourist attractions of the island. The trail to the peak was known for its path surrounded by a seemingly endless forest of hundred-year-old pine trees, and its magnificent view of Deokjeokdo and the neighboring islands in a vast expanse of ocean.

Chaewon had walked (even ran sometimes, for exercise) up and down the trail countless times, to the point that even the locals praised her for not losing her breath when she got up to the peak. Minju, however, was another story.

Her dread of climbing up the trail started when Chaewon put the car on idle by the side of the road on the way to the trail to point at the pavilion perched up at the top of the mountain, visible even in the distance. When they finally got out of the car to start walking up, Minju’s nerves didn’t seem to ease up.

Chaewon took a backpack out from the backseat, inspecting its contents first before slipping it on and clasping the buckle on the straps above her chest. 

She turned to Minju, who was too jittery to notice her looking at her. She smiled in humor at the poor girl.

“Come on, it won’t be that bad,” Chaewon said, trying to alleviate her worries. “It’ll only take us an hour of walking, plus the view is great.”

She put a hand on Minju’s shoulder to further give comfort to the younger girl.

“Once we start walking, you’ll forget about your worries almost immediately.”

Minju slowly turned to face the older girl beside. 

“I won’t fall to my death, right?”

Chaewon just stifled her laughter. She remembers Minju always had the tendency to overreact to everything, whether it be on purpose or in a teasing manner. This was the former.

“Relax, you’ll be fine. If you want, we can walk slowly and take our time.”

Minju faced forward again, steeling herself as she took a deep breath. 

“Okay, let’s do this.”

And together, they took their first step towards the top.

  
  


\---

  
  


About fifteen minutes into their walk, Chaewon noticed as the worrisome face slowly melted away from Minju and was replaced by wonder. She couldn’t blame her, the trail filled with the color and scent pine trees made you feel like you were transported to a whole other location, and made you forget that you were actually in an island filled with sandy beaches. As they got further and further into the trail, the sound of the forest became more prominent; birds chirping, leaves ruffling from the occasional breeze, the sound of their feet echoing on the ground with each step they take, as well as the voices from all the other visitors hiking up the trail with them, locals and foreigners alike.

Even Chaewon who has been on this trail countless times still saw majesty in it, what more for Minju who came here for the first time?

“See? It’s fine, right?” she asked the younger girl as they walked side by side.

“I didn’t think it would be this pretty,” Minju mused in awe. “Maybe it’s because I lived in the city my whole life, but I never saw so much pine trees in one place at once.”

Chaewon nodded. “Yeah, I thought the same thing during my first time here.”

A beat.

“What’s in the bag, by the way?” Minju asked.

Without facing her, Chaewon gave her answer. 

“You’ll see.”

They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds they could hear was from the leaves and insects found in the nearby bushes.

Chaewon wanted to strike up a conversation with Minju as soon as she got the chance. The younger girl’s arrival in Deokjeokdo had made her curious ever since she carried her the way home the first day. Now that the opportunity presented itself, however, she didn’t know how to start it. She was thinking that maybe it would be too intrusive for her to suddenly ask about her.

_Oh well,_ she thought. _Might as well start it and just see how it goes._

“So…”

Minju’s ears perked up at Chaewon’s prompt.

“How have you been?”

_Dumbass._

Chaewon berated herself in her thoughts for sounding so dumb with a question she found even dumber.

“I-I mean…” she said, trying to recover. “I haven’t seen you in years, so I was just wondering how you were doing since… you know…”

_Since we broke up._

Minju got what she meant, though.

“Well, I’ve been… well,” Minju said, their pace on the dirt path slowing down as they continue their conversation. “I graduated on time, got a job at a decent company that also happened to be where I interned, and uh…” 

She paused, and Chaewon knew she was hesitating to say something.

Sometimes Chaewon curses how she learned the ability to read people, it felt like intruding on their privacy sometimes.

Just like now. She knows Minju was hiding something, and if she had to guess, it probably had something to do with why she was here in Deokjeokdo in the first place.

On top of that, she found it a bit amusing how she downplays her graduating from one of the top universities in the country as well as landing a job as a regular reporter from a well-known TV station.

Minju was awfully humble as far as she could remember.

“...Yeah, I guess that’s about it,” Minju said, finalizing her answer to Chaewon’s query.

Chaewon just chuckled at how simple she gave her answer.

“I’m glad you’ve been well then,” Chaewon said. 

An awkward silence suddenly enveloped them, with Chaewon not knowing what to say next. She racks her brain on how to proceed with the conversation, but she was completely at a loss.

It baffles her how she always leads the talking during consultations and even gets the most difficult patients to speak, but when it came to the girl beside her, she just didn’t know what to do.

Then again, Minju wasn’t really a patient.

The girl was a former lover she was _probably_ still in love with.

She decides to try again.

“Do you mind if I ask what you’re doing here on Deokjeokdo?”

“Hm…” Minju ponders, her foot on a dried leaf that let out a crunching sound as she stepped on it. “Vacation? Just like anyone else on this island.”

Minju turned her head to look at Chaewon.

“I’m assuming you have the same reason as well.”

Chaewon looked ahead, pondering what to say next as well. Her bottom lip jutted out subconsciously, a telltale sign that she was deep in thought.

“That’s right,” she said as she settled on an answer that hopefully would not give everything away. “I thought I should give myself a much-needed break after… working hard my whole life.”

The older girl then turned to look at Minju as well, giving her a small smile.

“Besides, I think I’ve saved enough to afford to be gone from work for at least a few months.”

“I get what you mean. You’ve been working hard ever since you got into med school,” Minju replied, gently nodding in agreement to what Chaewon said. 

Minju then muttered her next words under her breath, just barely audible. But Chaewon still heard it.

“Probably even before that…”

The young doctor just let her smile grow a little bit wider.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

They shifted into a comfortable silence just as they got to the part in the trail where the thickets became denser, and Chaewon realized that they were half-way there already.

“Say, what kind of doctor were you again? I never really knew,” Chaewon heard Minju ask her.

“I’m a psychiatrist,” Chaewon said, lightly kicking a stray stone out of the way. “Though I specialize in psychotherapy too, so I guess you could say my job doubles as both someone who writes prescription as well as the one who talks to people lying down on a chair.”

It was Minju’s turn to giggle, finding humor in Chaewon’s explanation of her own job description.

“If I may be honest, I never really pegged you as a shrink,” she said, taking an obvious jab at Chaewon with her choice of words. She was rewarded with a light-hearted glare. “I don’t know, maybe because you were so… closed-off?”

Chaewon picked up on the meaning behind Minju’s words. 

The younger girl was obviously hinting at how they were in the past.

“Yeah… To be honest, learning about the whole psychology stuff helped me understand myself more than I learned to understand others.”

“But isn’t it like…” Minju struggled with finding the right words to say, as she knew this was a delicate subject. “Taxing? Both emotionally and mentally?”

“Hm,” Chaewon thought on how to proceed with her answer. “I would be lying if I said it wasn’t. If anything, being a psychiatrist is probably the most difficult kind of doctor to become. One wrong word and maybe even the worst could happen. Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to ticking time-bombs and I have to be extremely careful in diffusing them,” she said, giving out a dry chuckle after.

“But I’m sure you’ve ‘diffused’ even the most difficult bombs, right? You’re an amazing doctor from what I’ve heard from everyone so far,” Minju said with a smile.

Chaewon couldn’t help but just return the smile, turning to look ahead with wistful eyes.

_Amazing doctor? Do I even have the right to still call myself a doctor after everything that happened?_

_Ah, that’s right… It’s almost the Twelfth._

But she shook her thoughts away, taking a deep breath. She decided that this wasn’t the time to think about it.

She’d have plenty of time for that in the following weeks.

“Well, what about you?” Chaewon said, shifting the topic to focus on Minju. “I see you on TV every time I switch on the evening news. I’m pretty sure you’re famous now.”

Minju just scoffed beside her. “Please, I mostly report about petty crimes and local gossip,” she said, shaking her head. “I haven’t covered anything that should be known on a national level.”

“Come on, all stories deserve to be read or heard, Minju. Don’t discredit yourself like that,” Chaewon consoled.

“Wait,” the doctor said as she suddenly remembered something. “Weren’t you the one who was covering a story about a corrupt politician? I was actually following that news until one day it just went…”

Chaewon stopped in her tracks and discontinued what she was saying when she noticed Minju stopped walking as well. She looked back at the girl, who now had her head turned anywhere but the older girl in front of her.

“...Gone,” Chaewon muttered the last word.

Minju let out a slow sigh, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead. Evident on her face were feelings of frustration, of anger, but most of all, Chaewon recognized an expression she knows all too well after countless patients that went through her.

_Helplessness._

(She ignores the fact that she sees it on her own face in the mirror every morning when she wakes up.)

“Minju…?” Chaewon called out tentatively, getting worried by the second.

“You wanna know why that story went cold all of a sudden?” Minju asked a bit aggressively, but Chaewon can see that the younger girl was trying to keep herself together.

Chaewon looked at her with solemn eyes, proceeding to ask her a question in caution.

“Is that the reason why you’re here?”

The younger girl let out another sigh, finally turning to look at Chaewon.

“Yes.”

Chaewon looked ahead. They were going on a steep uphill now, and she recognized that they were already near the part of the trail that was by the cliffside. 

She stepped closer to Minju, reaching out to clasp the younger girl’s hand in hers.

Minju looked at her questioningly.

“There are benches up ahead, we can rest there,” Chaewon explained. “Come on.”

The older girl pulled Minju along and started walking, all the while not letting go of her hand. She looked straight ahead, the red on Minju’s face left unnoticed.

They got to the benches overlooking the cliff that gave a magnificent view of the island at their current height. It wasn’t as good as the one at the top of course, but for now, she supposed this will do.

The older girl glanced at Minju who already had her mouth slightly open in awe of the view before her. She smiled at the sight, and tugged her forward to allow themselves to sit on one of the benches.

Chaewon let go of Minju’s hand to take her bag off and pull a water bottle from inside of it. She handed it to the girl beside her, who she had to nudge to get her attention as she was busy admiring the view.

“Oh, thank you.”

Chaewon smiled to return her thanks. She fished out another water bottle for herself and quenched her own thirst.

They allowed themselves a few more minutes to watch the distant waves on the ocean several feet below them, the vast blue sky mirroring it from above. Clouds were scattered on it like random streaks of white, and the water below caught the light the afternoon sun gave it. A constant wind was present at their current altitude, but its strength was just enough to give comfort to the two women sitting side by side after their effort of trekking all the way to where they currently were. The ruffling of the leaves from the trees that surrounded them was the only sound they could hear.

Chaewon spoke to Minju without turning to her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She heard the younger girl give out a deep sigh, and from the corner of her eye she saw Minju casting her head down, looking at her two hands that she held together with the water bottle.

“I’m not… I’m not actually with the station anymore,” Minju said. She gulped down a lump in her throat before saying her next words.

“I got fired.”

Chaewon thought she should’ve seen it coming, but she couldn’t help but be surprised still. It was a good thing she was able to hide her expressions for the sake of the other girl.

“Years of working hard for your dream job, even to the point of ruining your relationship with your parents, and you get sacked,” Minju said, laughing to herself weakly out of self-pity. “And for what? For doing the right thing?”

Chaewon can’t stand the sight of Minju looking so… defeated. She never saw the younger woman so crushed; not when she came crying to her about her parents all those years ago, not when they went their separate ways.

Still, if she wanted to help Minju, she has to know what happened. Even if it meant seeing her hurt again by opening up the younger girl’s wounds.

“Tell me what happened.”

Minju fiddled with her bottle for a bit, then speaking up, her voice small.

“It started when we got an anonymous tip about a club in downtown Gangnam doing illegal activities.”

They felt the wind blowing around them get stronger, the branches of the trees surrounding them shaking a bit more violently.

“I was actually already doing my own investigation about corrupt VIPs doing shady business, being involved in all kinds of underground stuff. I was collaborating with only a few cops since we all know the police can’t be trusted these days, and one day my contact alerted me of a whistleblower.”

Chaewon stayed silent while listening, letting Minju tell her story at her own pace.

“I remember, that day, my gut told me this was going to be something big. Bigger than everything I’ve done so far, probably something that could make or break my career as a reporter.”

The older girl sitting beside the journalist watched the water bottle in the younger’s hands get gripped tighter as Minju recalled the events of the past few months.

“Well, it definitely wasn’t wrong.”

  
  


\---

  
  


_“And what makes you think that this isn’t another one of those empty leads?”_

_Yena huffed out at her partner in doubt as she hoisted her camera up to put inside the trunk of the car their broadcasting station lent them for “official work business only.”_

_(Though the pair admitted that they used it for more than going to work.)_

_“I don’t know, Yena-unnie,” Minju said, as she checked her bag for the things she needed. “Something just tells me this isn’t like the others.”_

_They both got inside the car and put their seatbelt on, Yena putting the car in reverse slowly out of parallel parking until she had enough space to move it forward._

_Minju didn’t understand what she was feeling, maybe a mix of anxiety and excitement, to say the least. When she got a text from her contact at the Gangnam police station to meet them at their usual meeting place that morning, a feeling overwhelmed her gut that made her think there was something big coming._

_“Are you sure it’s your so-called ‘journalist gut feeling’ that’s talking? What if you just accidentally put spoiled milk on your cereal this morning and your stomach is all upset and now you need to take a shit?” Yena said while concentrating on driving towards their destination._

_Minju made a face at what the older girl just said._

_“Okay first off, what you just said was horribly disgusting. Second, no… This feeling… This feeling is_ different _, unnie. It’s like something is_ screaming _at me that there’s something out there that needs to be revealed.”_

_Yena just eyed at her partner from the side as she drove. She was still a bit suspicious in everything, especially since the two of them had been grasping at straws for the past months for this cover story, but she knew better than to go against Minju. She knows the younger girl always had to see things through even if they sometimes (always) end up being duds._

_Yena doesn’t know why she even goes along with her partner most of the time, even if it always ended up with her being overworked. She supposes it was because of her growing fondness for her, as well as her own sense of looking for hidden stories that needed to be told._

_They arrived at the coffee shop where they usually hold meetings with their contact from the police. It was strategically chosen to be easily accessible from both workplaces and other places of interests while being distant enough to avoid arousing suspicion._

_Add to that, apparently the coffee and sweets served at the shop were their officer friend’s favorites._

_The pair made their way inside, the bell on the front door of the café ringing as they entered. Minju’s eyes scanned the rather empty spanse of the café’s interior searching for someone, until her eyes landed on a familiar woman in a denim jacket sitting at one of the farther tables located near the counter._

_She and Yena made their way towards the lady at the table, stopping only when they were near enough. The woman was sketching something on a small leather journal, which looked like a familiar face. She was quite invested in her sketch that she didn’t notice the arrival of the two at her table._

_(Actually, Minju knew who the lady was sketching. It looked too much like the barista behind the counter in charge of running the café.)_

_Minju cleared her throat._

_“Officer Jeon,” she said, calling the attention of the woman on the table, who looked up abruptly at the sound of her name being called._

_“Ah, Minju-ssi, Yena-ssi,” the lady smiled at them and stood up, shaking their hands as she greeted them with a bow. “Please, sit down. We better get started as soon as possible.”_

_The two journalists sat down opposite to the police officer, who was starting to clear the table from an empty cup of coffee and a dessert plate. She then retrieved a different journal from inside a sling bag beside her, stashing away the earlier leather journal into it instead. The two women watched the female enforcer open the new journal and flip through its pages until she settled on a page with sketches and notes._

_Officer Jeon moved the journal to the center of the table so that all three people could get a good look of what was on it. She then called for the barista by the counter, who was the only other person inside the café with them._

_“Miss Kim, if you so kindly will?” she said as she smiled at the barista._

_The barista just silently nodded at her and moved out of the counter. She flipped the “open” sign on the front door to make the “closed” side face outside, moving to close the blinds on the front windows after._

_The barista then quietly went inside the café’s break room, effectively leaving the three alone in the empty café._

_“Okay, let’s go straight to the point,” Officer Jeon said, placing a manila envelope full of documents and photos on the table that she secretly hid when the barista was still within the vicinity. She opened it and took the contents out, arranging them neatly so all files were readable._

_“We identified the whistleblower that gave us the anonymous tip,” she started explaining, pointing at a black and white photo of a man on a call, taken from a distance. “Apparently he’s working as a manager in one of the clubs we’ve been targeting to investigate, and if the information he gave us was right, there should actually be a deal happening tonight.”_

_“A deal?” Minju asked cocking an eyebrow._

_Officer Jeon looked at the papers on the table and flipped a page on one of the stapled ones, then picking the whole document up and handing it to Minju, Yena scooting closer to Minju to read with her._

_Their eyes widened at what they saw on the paper._

_“That’s a transcript of a tapped phone call we were able to retrieve from the manager’s phone,” the policewoman started explaining. “He was willing enough to let us trace his phone just so we could gather more evidence for a raid.”_

_“And as you can see on the highlighted parts,” she said as she started arranging some photos and the journal with sketches._

_“The deal is about child trafficking.”_

_Minju knew that they were following a dark story, but she didn’t know it would turn_ this _dark. She physically felt her stomach drop as she continued reading the document in her hands._

_“Specifically an auction, which will take place here,” Officer Jeon continues, holding up a sketch of a room that looked like a small theater on her journal._

_“The manager explained that it’s a secret basement that’s only accessible by VIPs via secret elevator, and you need a gold identification card if you need to get in. I had to draw this instead of getting a copy for security… As you said the first time, we don’t know who to trust these days.”_

_As Minju brought down the paper, feeling nauseated by the actual gravity of their investigation, Yena voiced out a question to the officer._

_“And where do_ we _,” Yena said, pointing to Minju and herself. “Fit in all this?”_

_Officer Jeon’s face turned more serious, clearly thinking of how she should say her next words._

_She put the journal back down on the table and put her elbows on it, folding her hands in front of her face as her expression turned grim._

_“We need your help.”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“We have to get out of here. Let’s go!”_

_Yena whisper-shouted at her companion over the booming music as they quickly made their way out of the club, forcing themselves through the crowd of people dancing drunkenly on the dancefloor. They just escaped from where the illegal auction took place, being accompanied by Officer Jeon to gather evidence against the people involved in the crime._

_Without raising any suspicion, they were able to get out of the club through the back exit, hastily walking into one of the alleys where they rendezvoused with another undercover police officer inside a car._

_Yena didn’t take out the hidden camera she brought with her until they were well away from the club, safe from any potential followers._

_“Keep that for us for a while,” Officer Jeon spoke up from the car’s shotgun seat, looking at the two reporters in the backseat through the rearview mirror._

_Minju and Yena looked up at her as if she grew two heads._

_“You’re trusting_ us _with major, important evidence such as this?!” Minju asked in outrage._

_“I know we’re making you do so much, hell we’re already sorry for involving you guys in this, but we wouldn’t be taking measures like this if we weren’t desperate. Just keep it for a while, then we’ll send you a link to a private portal to upload the stuff on that camera so the team can check it.”_

_Yena and Minju looked at each other and gulped, clearly anxious at the danger that could possibly come upon them by keeping something vital to the investigation in their hands._

_But they realized they didn’t have a choice._

_“And after you retrieve the data?” Minju asked._

_Officer Jeon turned to look at them dead in the eye._

_“Destroy the camera.”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_A lunchtime show was suddenly forced into a commercial break, catching the attention of everyone on one of the floors on the Gangnam Broadcasting company building watching it, including Minju and Yena._

_“We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news. Senator Han Seongshik has just been arrested by the police straight from the Blue House under the allegation of being involved in multiple crimes , including prostitution and child trafficking. According to the police, multiple persons have been identified to be accomplices of the senator in the said crimes, including executive producer Seo Yangmin of one of the top entertainment companies in the country and—”_

_The anchor suddenly cut what he was saying as he received an incoming feed from his earpiece, raising a finger to push it further in his ear to hear it better._

_Suddenly his eyes grew wider at what he heard._

_He immediately put on a determined face as he faced the camera again._

_“We just received news that the CEO of Gangnam Broadcasting, Kang Jongsoon, has been arrested as well, under the allegation of being one of Senator Han’s accomplices in illegal trade. Mr. Kang had just arrived at Incheon International Airport from a business trip in Indonesia when authorities took him away into custody. Further details about the arrest of these personalities will follow soon…”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“Kim Minju, to my office. Now.”_

_Minju was sitting by her desk in her team’s assigned work room writing her next report when she got called by their department chief._

_She shared a look with Yena who was sitting across from her watching videos that she took on their recent trip around the neighborhood when she stood up to follow her boss to his office._

_“What is it, sir?” Minju asked as soon as she closed the door behind her, walking to stand by her boss’s desk._

_He forcefully tossed a folded up newspaper on his desk towards the girl, Minju flinching as the paper made a slapping sound as it hit the surface of the table._

_“I think you and I know why I called you here.”_

_Minju looked at the newspaper on the table, her eyes expanding as she recognized that it was the paper she wrote columns in under a pen name._

_Her eyes shifted from the paper to her boss, in clear shock._

_“Sir, if I may ask,” she slowly voiced, though her agitation was growing by the second. “How did you know?”_

_“That doesn’t matter,” he immediately dismissed. “What matters is how you wrote destructive articles about our company’s CEO, your_ employer _, that accuse him of things he didn’t even do! Not only that, you pushed for the report about him to air in last night’s news broadcast!”_

_“‘Accuse’? Sir, all the evidence the police have are legitimate and are clearly pointing towards him and his group of criminals! It’s beyond accusation at this point!”_

_“There isn’t even a trial that’s happened yet and you’re already branding him a criminal?! And you call yourself a journalist?! You should be thrown in jail for this!”_

_“A journalist does nothing but reveal the truth! Why are you defending the CEO anyway?”_

_Minju watched as the department chief held back being visibly taken aback as soon as she said her last words, immediately straightening up to attempt to hide his recent action._

_She immediately realized why he was acting like this._

_“Y-You…”_

_“You’re fired.”_

_Minju was beyond caught off-guard by the man’s sudden remark._

_“I want you out of this building immediately. Get out of my sight!”_

_This only made Minju angrier at her boss. She forced her body to stop shaking from the rage that was brewing inside her, the desire to punch the man in front of her was growing too fast, but she knew she had to hold herself down._

_She decided she will fight in another way._

_Minju shot one last look full of hatred to her boss before walking out, slamming the door behind her._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“First you mess up with your university because you said you wanted to get a job you loved doing, but now you’re fired. What are you gonna do now?”_

_Minju’s mother said as she sat with them at the dinner table, eyes downcast._

_She didn’t need this scolding right now._

_Not ever._

_Her father was sitting by the helm of the table, reserved only for the patriarch of the family, silently reading something on his phone, though his disappointment in his daughter could clearly be seen and felt._

_Her parents never approved of her being in journalism in the first place. And now that she was actually_ out _of it, they were even more disappointed._

_“We let you do whatever you wanted since you seemed so hellbent in running around interviewing people, but now you do_ this _? God, Minju, what the hell is wrong with you?”_

Stop.

Stop it.

_“Why couldn’t you have just went to SNU? Why couldn’t you have just been a doctor? Why couldn’t you have just followed what we said?! We just wanted the best for you!”_

_“Enough!”_

_Minju said as she abruptly stood up from the table, her parents looking up to her in her sudden outburst._

_Tears were glossing her eyes, daring to fall, but she willed herself to stop them._

_“I’ve had enough.”_

_She walked out of their dining area and went up to her room, packing clothes in a small suitcase before storming out of their house._

_Minju never looked back._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“Yena-unnie? ...Yeah, it’s me. Don’t worry, I’m doing fine! Listen I have something to tell you… I’m going on a trip.”_

  
  


\---

  
  


“...Huh?”

Minju felt something wet drop on her hand as soon as she finished telling Chaewon her story, taking a glance at it.

She didn’t realize she was already crying.

Chaewon watched Minju as she immediately raised both hands to wipe her cheek and her eyes, trying to stop her tears from falling even further. 

“A-Ah… I didn’t know I was crying. I’m sorry.”

Her heart clenched for the younger girl even more when she saw how she repeatedly attempted to get rid of her tears.

Even now, Chaewon hated seeing the girl in such pain, her own heart feeling like it gets stabbed with every tear that falls from Minju’s eyes.

Chaewon felt like crying as well.

“W-What… Ahaha, why am I even crying? Stupid, stupid…” Minju mumbled to no one in particular.

Chaewon slid closer to Minju on the bench and put a hand on the younger’s shoulder to comfort her, rubbing gently on it. 

“It’s okay,” she told Minju.

“It’s time to let it all out.”

At what she said, Minju stopped trying to halt the fall of her tears. She let her hands down and immediately broke down, hanging her head down low as she finally let the stream on either cheek flow freely, her tears like raindrops on the hands on her lap.

Chaewon’s grip on Minju’s shoulder slightly tightened, the ache in her own heart getting worse.

“The only thing I’ve ever wanted was for them to accept me for who I am, for who I want to be,” Minju cried out, finally baring all the frustrations she had harbored over the years out. “Why can’t I do that while doing the things I love? While being with the people that I care about?”

Chaewon just quietly listened, her hand on the girl’s shoulder in constant motion to comfort her, to reassure her that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Minju wept harder as she started to say her next words.

“When my parents told me to break up with you, I fought for as long as I could, because I thought you would do the same for me. But I didn’t expect you to let go too easily.”

The hand on the younger girl’s shoulder stopped moving. 

“And I know you’ve had your reasons, but it still hurts, you know? Up to this day, it hurts. Because I never expected the one and only person who was supposed to be there for me always will decide to suddenly leave.”

Minju raised her hands to wipe some of the tears that were clouding her vision, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

“But I moved on. I _had to_.”

Chaewon said nothing and just continued to listen, her head hung low.

"And when I tried to do what I knew was right, when I was about to give justice to all the people who deserve it, I lost everything. Fuck, I even almost got thrown to jail for it."

More drops fell from her eyes, landing on the already wet spots on her hands, and making new ones on her lap.

“Even when there was nothing else I could do besides pretend everything was alright, I still had to be strong. Even if it felt like nothing has ever went my way. Even when all I’ve been doing was just work hard and do my best.”

She put a hand on her chest to grip on her shirt, trying to alleviate the pain she was feeling, her knuckle shaking.

“Is this what I get for being strong, Chaewon-unnie?”

Minju sniffed, the flow of tears on her cheeks unrelenting as she closed her eyes. 

“I’m just so, _so_ tired.”

The girl sounded like all her current emotions were expressed in those words. Minju was defeated, exhausted, and her heart felt like it went to war countless times, all battered and bruised now. One could easily see that Minju had grown weak over the years of fighting her battles alone.

As Chaewon watched her finally put her walls down as she quietly broke down, she couldn’t help but feel guilty for leaving Minju. It was just as what the younger girl said, that she had her own reasons for leaving. Still, she couldn’t help but feel like a coward for not staying by her side, even just as a friend. 

She decided she’ll try not to make the same mistake again, even if she herself were carrying heavy things as well.

“I…” Chaewon started, her voice small and uncertain. “I still have things I’m going through as well…”

The hand on Minju’s shoulder started moving again, its grip tighter as if telling the other girl that it wasn’t going to move away.

“And as I am now, I don’t think I’m qualified enough to tell you what to do, even if I _am_ licensed to do so.”

Chaewon reached for something inside her back pocket and took out a handkerchief, moving it towards Minju’s hands for the younger to take it.

“But I want you to know…” she let out a shaky breath. “I want you to know that I’m here. I’m here to tell you that you can rest, Minju. You’ve been strong long enough.”

At that, Minju looked up to see Chaewon, her eyes still overflowing with tears. Then, Chaewon watched as Minju’s face slowly contorted to let out a wail, her eyes closing again. Minju let her head fall to lean on the older girl’s chest, and as her cries got louder a hand gripped on her shirt tightly while the other softly pounds a fist on Chaewon’s shoulder. With every sob she let out, the grief that had accumulated over the years became more apparent.

Chaewon’s arm that she had draped around Minju held the younger girl tighter, her hand continuing to move to soothe the girl in sorrow.

“It’s okay, Minju. Just let it out.”

Along with the sound of the distant waves and the ruffling leaves around them, the wind carried the sound of Minju’s sobs as she cried her heart out. Inside Chaewon, her own heart was crying for the younger girl as well, sharing her pain with her.

They stayed like that for a while, until Minju’s heart felt lighter, and all that was left was a dull pain that only time could heal.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju gulped down her bottle of water as if there was no tomorrow.

Her throat was dry from all the crying she did, and as thankful as she was for Chaewon staying with her, all she could think of was how she let herself vulnerable and cried like a little kid in front of her ex who is technically like a stranger to her right now.

Plus she probably looked ugly right now, red puffy eyes and all.

It was beyond embarrassing.

“U-Um…”

Minju’s eyes flitted back and forth between the soiled handkerchief Chaewon gave her earlier and its owner, who was just watching her with soft eyes.

“Oh, you want to return it?” Chaewon asked, already having a palm out to Minju so she could receive the cloth clutched in the younger’s hand.

“W-What are you saying? It’s disgusting right now!”

“What do you mean ‘it’s disgusting’?” Chaewon smiled at Minju’s choice of words to describe the handkerchief. “Don’t worry, I can wash it anyway.”

“No,” Minju said as she folded up the wet handkerchief properly and slowly put it in her back pocket. “ _I’ll_ wash it.”

Chaewon just shrugged at her in compliance.

They both watched the view in front of them for a while, enjoying the breeze that caressed their faces.

Minju let in a deep breath as she put in her lungs all the air she could gather, and slowly letting out, her eyes closed.

She’s finally starting to feel at ease, little by little.

“Come on,” Chaewon said as she moved her hand to hold Minju’s own.

Minju turned to the older girl questioningly.

“We have to go back to climbing.”

This confused Minju more. “I thought this was the peak?”

Chaewon shook her head at Minju, smiling at her as she stood up.

“Not yet. You don’t see the pavilion anywhere, do you?”

“Now that you mention it…” the other girl said as she turned her head around to look at her surroundings, the pavilion Chaewon showed her earlier nowhere in sight.

Minju felt Chaewon’s hand in hers adjust itself, putting her palm under hers as she laced their fingers together.

She pretended not to notice, but the blush that started to creep up her cheeks to spread color on them betrayed her.

Chaewon gave her arm another gentle tug.

Minju stood up from the bench, looking at Chaewon.

“Lead the way, doctor.”

The said doctor just grinned at her, pulling her arm to lead themselves back to the trail.

Their pace was a bit slower than when they started but comfortable, with Chaewon never letting Minju’s hand go. Their steps fell into another familiar rhythm with each other, and the relief and comfort it brought Minju to have Chaewon by her side was unexpected, but nevertheless welcome.

If anything, it reminded her of when they were still together.

“This is nice…” Minju muttered to no one in particular.

“It is,” Chaewon replied, her eyes still in front. “But nothing beats the view at the top.”

“How long until we get there?”

“Just a bit more.”

They noticed the air around them was getting colder, a sign that their altitude was getting higher. The two walked a bit more until they reached the end of the forest trail, where all the pine trees were gone from that point onward.

Chaewon saw the familiar sign in the near distance that welcomed people to the famous peak, and could see the path turning into wooden flooring that led to the red pavilion, sitting atop stone surrounded by a contrasting hue of the blue sky.

She turned to look at Minju, whose eyes looked like it could grow any wider as she took in the sight.

An idea came to her mind.

“Close your eyes,” she told the younger woman.

“What? What for?” Minju asked as she returned Chaewon’s look.

“You’ll enjoy the view better if you take it all in at the same time… get it?”

Minju just stared at her weirdly. Chaewon sighed.

“Just… Just do as I say.”

Chaewon raised her hands to cover Minju’s eyes and block her from seeing anymore of the view, much to the fuss of the other woman.

“H-Hey!” Minju called out to her, her own hands trying to remove the hands on her eyes that made her blind. “This is making me nervous you know! What if you throw me off the mountain?”

“Now why would I even do that?” Chaewon countered, guiding Minju forward as they started taking their first steps to the pavilion. “First, I would be breaking my oath. Second, you’re way too heavy.”

“I-I’m not heavy though…” Minju said, still struggling to remove Chaewon’s hands from her face.

“You could do us both a favor if you stopped moving so much, or else we’ll both be throwing ourselves off the mountain.”

At that, Minju slowly let her hands go from Chaewon’s own, and opting to gingerly hold the older girl’s arms on either side of her to steady herself as they waddled their way up the wooden stairs.

Almost too comically, Minju lost her footing as she put a foot up a step, and despite Chaewon steadying her immediately, it felt like her heart dropped to her stomach, making her freeze on the spot.

“A-A-Are you sure we’re not gonna fall or something?!”

“We’re fine, Minju. I got you,” Chaewon reassured softly, shifting to use one hand to cover both of Minju’s eyes, using the other to hold the younger’s arm to keep her steady. 

“You can trust me, okay?”

After a while, Chaewon felt Minju’s head move in a nod, her body losing its stiffness.

“Okay, one foot in front of the other.”

The pair resumed their climb up the stairs slowly, and Minju seemed to lose almost all her senses when her sense of sight was gone. It felt like the walk was taking so long, and her feet moved like it was always on the verge of tripping on themselves, leading Chaewon and her to certain death.

The only senses that were still intact with her was her sense of smell and touch, and for some reason, all it registered was Chaewon; her signature mint perfume wafting into her nose and the heat the older woman behind her emanating to her back.

It calmed her to an extent.

Minju felt her foot stepping into a wider flat floor, to which she assumed was them finally arriving at the pavilion.

“Can I have my eyes back now?” she asked.

“Nope, not yet,” came Chaewon’s reply. “Keep walking.”

She continued her pace of baby-stepping forward until she felt something hard hit her just above the stomach. Minju placed her hands on it and felt that it was some sort of wooden barrier, like a fence.

“Okay,” she heard Chaewon speak beside her. “Ready?”

Minju gulped.

“Ready.”

“On the count of three. One, two, three…!”

Chaewon removed her hand from Minju’s face, with Minju immediately opening her eyes.

Minju thought she had seen the prettiest of sights already, but the view that she was seeing in front of her right now was hands down the most beautiful scene she had ever set her eyes on in all her life on earth.

She literally couldn’t believe her eyes.

The view at the peak of Bijobong gave her the vast, three-sixty-degree expanse of the island, all in its natural beauty. Minju could see the beach where the port was, as well as another beach more for leisure and camping. She could also see the neighboring islands, and in the ocean that surrounded the land masses which were filled with the thickest of forests, small boats dotted the waters, as well as the ferries that were either arriving at or departing from Deokjeokdo.

“This… This is so beautiful,” Minju softly expressed her state of awe.

Chaewon smiled at the younger girl, feeling happy that Minju appreciated the Minju more.

(Part of her likes to think that she wouldn’t get such a reaction if it wasn’t for the little stunt she pulled.)

“Look over there,” she said, raising an arm to point at somewhere far ahead. 

Minju followed the general direction of where Chaewon was pointing at, squinting her eyes a bit to see clearly.

Then her brown orbs widened again in realization.

“Is that… Is that Incheon?”

Chaewon grinned at her. “That’s right.”

In the distance, the two of them could make out the skyline of the famed city, its skyscrapers tall enough that it looked like their silhouettes blended in with the white clouds above them to become part of the sky.

Minju knew Deokjeokdo wasn’t really that far off the coast of Incheon, but now that she had stayed on the island for more than a day now, it felt like she was someplace far away from the bustle of the city.

Needless to say, it was an experience she wouldn’t trade with anything in the world.

“Minju, I…”

Chaewon started to speak beside her, and Minju watched as the older girl had her eyes closed as she leaned onto the pavilion’s wooden railing, the wind gently blew her face. 

She clearly looked like she was struggling to say something.

“I know I haven’t been honest with you. Not even from before, when we were still together. And I want you to know that there isn’t a single day that’s passed that I didn’t regret what I did.”

Chaewon opened her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. She kept her line of sight fixed on the view ahead of her, refusing to look at Minju as she told her the feelings that resurfaced when she met the younger girl again.

“But I want to thank you.”

Minju’s eyebrows raised slightly at what she heard from Chaewon.

“I want to thank you for still trusting me, even after everything that’s happened… even after everything I did. I want to thank you for letting me help you, for allowing me to listen to you…”

“...So I want to return it.”

The young doctor turned to face Minju, her face solemn.

Minju could see the pain hidden in Chaewon’s eyes, the older girl doing her best to hide it.

“I… I’ll tell you everything. As soon as I can. But for now…”

Chaewon took another inhale, calming herself as if speaking physically hurt her right now. Minju felt herself getting hurt by how much the older girl was struggling with whatever she was keeping inside, and if there was a way to chase Chaewon’s pain away, she knew she would go to the ends of the earth to find it.

“Please, please give me some time. I just need more time.”

The older woman managed to croak out her last words, and Minju felt a piece of her heart break off when she heard how defeated Chaewon actually sounded.

It was Minju’s turn to hold Chaewon’s hand for comfort, and she held it firmly, giving her a small but reassuring smile.

“I can wait, unnie.”

Chaewon returned her smile with one of her own.

“Thank you, Minju. That means a lot to me.”

  
  


\---

  
  


“We have to get back.”

Chaewon suddenly said as she glanced at the watch on her wrist.

They stayed in the pavilion just talking to each other about the different things the island has to offer and enjoying the atmosphere of being on top of a mountain with an amazing view. Along the course of their conversation, Chaewon was even able to conjure a cup of hot chocolate for Minju from the things that were inside her bag, much to the delight of the younger girl.

(Minju was taking pictures of the place with her phone while Chaewon hung back, sitting down on one of the benches in the pavilion. She may or may not have sneaked a photo of the younger girl in her own phone, Minju’s back turned towards the camera, the light against her as she raised her arms to capture the scenery.)

“Why?” Minju said just as she finished her cup of the sweet brown liquid. 

Then she noticed the color of the sky, which looked like the sun was low enough to start its setting in a few more hours.

“The sun’s about to set, and if we go down now, we’ll be able to watch it from the beach,” Chaewon explained to her.

“The beach?”

“Yeah. The sunset is better at the beach, no?”

“Now that you mention it…”

Chaewon was definitely right.

The older girl moved her hand to take the now empty metal cup from Minju’s hand and return it back inside the backpack she brought with her.

Just as she locked the backpack’s strap in place above her chest again, Chaewon beckoned Minju over.

“Let’s go?”

Minju nodded at her, smiling.

“Let’s go.”

The two then started their descent off the mountain, their steps lighter, the smiles on their faces slightly brighter than before.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju and Chaewon arrived at Seopori beach, the popular destination in the island where most people go for leisurely swimming. It boasted a white sand shoreline, to which some tourists set up to make camp and enjoy outdoor barbecuing. The sky was in the early stages in its transition from being blue to becoming orange when the pair got off the car to head down to the beach.

Some locals were present, going for a swim when the sun’s glare wasn’t as harsh as during the morning. They recognized Chaewon, and offered the doctor their greetings of hello.

“You know all these people?” Minju asked her.

“Uh… no,” Chaewon answered truthfully.

Minju just gave her a chuckle in return.

Once they neared the part of the beach where the water met the sand in waves, Minju had the sudden urge to kick off her shoes and feel the water on her bare feet.

The younger girl then immediately sat on the nearest patch of dry sand and started unlacing her shoes. She looked up to see Chaewon just staring at her.

“Come on, Chaewon-unnie! Take your shoes off, too!”

The woman in question frowned at her. 

“And deal with the weird feeling of having sand rubbing against your socks? No thanks.”

Minju pouted at the woman in front of her just as she finished stuffing her socks inside her shoes. She folded up her pants so that it could reach the space between her shins and knees, standing up afterwards while dusting off stray sand from herself.

“Such a killjoy. It wouldn’t hurt to live a little, you know?”

She left her shoes in the spot where she sat and almost broke into a run as she quickly approached the waves.

Chaewon just looked at Minju who started making tentative steps towards the waters to test it. She put a foot forward just in time to meet a wave, and after finding out that the water was cool enough, Minju went ahead and got into the water, a huge smile on her face.

Minju turned back to Chaewon, who had now moved to sit down besides Minju’s shoes.

“Chaewon-unnie, come _on_!”

The stubborn doctor just shook her head in response to the journalist’s childlike enthusiasm to get wet.

“Nah, I’ll just stay here,” she said, giving a small smile back.

Minju pouted again, shrugging at the orange-head for acting like an old woman with back problems and avoiding having fun like a normal person. She turned her back to her and started kicking the water to make little splashes as she enjoyed the wind in her hair.

Chaewon watched Minju as the younger girl was clearly enjoying at the beach. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the whole stretch of the beach. Seeing Minju in this light, it made her image to Chaewon more surreal, more ethereal. It has been a while since she saw the girl bathed in the light of the setting sun, and truth be told, she missed this.

And Chaewon wasn’t about to miss this opportunity as well.

When she noticed Minju bringing out her phone from her pocket to take photos again, Chaewon brought her own out as well. Almost at the same time, the two girls raised their hands to take photos of the scene before them, the photos equally beautiful, but to one of them, the picture she took was more precious than anything in this world.

Chaewon reviewed the photos she took of the girl facing the camera with her back, her whole figure in the orange glow of the sun, with some of its rays catching itself in her hair, and the vast blue ocean in front of her, its waves reaching her feet on the sand.

To Chaewon, it looked like a painting worthy to be hung in the world’s most prestigious museum, to be appreciated by millions of people.

But for now, this picture was reserved for her eyes only.

She returned her phone from where it came, and after deciding to join Minju to go and soak her feet as well, she folded up her pants and took off her shoes, putting them beside Minju’s own pair.

Chaewon walked down to where Minju was standing, hands in her pockets. The younger girl turned her head to look at her as she noticed Chaewon arriving at her side. She raised an eyebrow at her.

“I thought you said you didn’t want sand in your socks,” she said, now sporting a playful smirk.

Chaewon just shrugged. “You seemed to be having fun, so I wanted to know what the fuss was all about.”

They both closed their eyes and leaned their heads to allow the wind to blow through their whole body and let their hair fly with it, losing themselves in the comforting feeling it brought them. Listening to the calming sound of the waves gently crashing on the shore, they felt the knocking of seawater against their bare legs, their toes digging into the wet sand underwater. Countering the cool breeze was the soft warmth of the sun as it lays its rays on the two of them, slowly dipping into the horizon as darkness started to consume their surroundings, the earliest stars popping up one after another to take their place in the evening sky.

Chaewon and Minju felt a small semblance of peace, even more so knowing that they were together in this exact space, in this exact moment of time.

They opened their eyes and noticing how dark it has gotten, they decided to leave the water to head back to the car.

Just as they reached the spot where they left their shoes (which they found still side by side, to Minju’s amusement), Chaewon turned to Minju sporting a smile, a determined look in her eyes.

“Race you back to the car?”

Minju smiled herself.

“Loser pays for dinner?”

“You’re on.”

And, without even bothering to put their shoes back on their feet and just opting to pick them up, they started sprinting towards the red truck parked in the distance, all in their barefoot glory.

Just before they reached the car when the race was neck-to-neck, Chaewon slowed to a halt, allowing Minju to get to the finish line (car) first.

“YES!”

Minju’s voice echoed throughout the place as she raised her arms in triumph, filling her whole being with pride for earning herself a free meal tonight.

“Free dinner! Yes!” Minju exclaimed as she turned to Chaewon behind her, her face sporting the brightest of grins.

Chaewon’s lips curled into a smile of her own, feeling her heart melt as she saw how happy Minju was.

She silently wished that Minju could only stay happy from here on out.

“Well,” Chaewon said as she gave out a chuckle. “I guess I gotta apologize to my poor wallet for being slow, then.”

Chaewon made her way to the car, and together they rode back into town to have dinner at their favorite bistro.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Nako, Hiichan! Oh, and you’re here too, Yuri?” 

Chaewon and Minju approached their usual table by the bistro’s stage and found Hitomi, Nako, and Yuri, the three most known people associated to Feathers, already sitting there. They sat down with them when the three other girls waved them hi and beckoned them to come over.

“Hi Chaewon-unnie, Minju,” Hitomi greeted the two who just arrived.

“Yo,” Nako looked up from her phone and raised a palm up as her greeting.

“Oh right, Minju never met Yuri before,” Chaewon said in realization. “Minju, this is Yuri, the impossibly-talented singer from last night. Yuri, this is Minju. She’s a friend back from Seoul.”

Yuri gave Minju a smile as she bowed and held a palm out for a handshake.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Jo Yuri.”

Minju returned the bow, holding Yuri’s outstretched hand to shake it.

“Kim Minju, nice to meet you too. I became your fan overnight,” she said enthusiastically.

Yuri gave out a shy chuckle when she heard Minju’s words.

“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”

They all sat down on the table, and when Chaewon was about to ask for the menu to start ordering food for all five of them when Hitomi stopped her.

“Oh, you don’t need to,” the young Japanese woman said. “Nako already ordered for all of us.”

Chaewon looked at her in confusion. “ _All_ of us? How did you guys even know we were gonna have dinner here?”

“A hunch,” the young chef said, holding out a peace sign.

Yuri grinned. “Nako has the weirdest superhuman sense when it comes to things like this.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Anyway,” Chaewon cut off. “What’s weirder is that all three of you are here instead of being busy running the bistro.”

Nako shrugged at Chaewon’s observation. “Slow night. Besides, the sous chef’s been bugging me for ages to let him try becoming head chef for once, so I gave him a chance to prove himself.”

“Are you sure that’s not gonna cause any problems or anything?” Minju piped up, her face donning a worried look.

“That’s what I told her as well,” Hitomi said as she shook her head.

“Well, I told him if he messes up, he could say goodbye to his job _and_ that this dinner’s on him,” Nako explained nonchalantly.

“...That’s kind of hardcore,” Minju voiced out.

Yuri laughed out at the exchange that played out. “Well, that’s Nako for you!”

Nako just returned Yuri’s tease with a playful glare.

The women on the table then went on naturally to engage themselves in their own conversations, Minju talking to Yuri to learn more about her new friend, and Chaewon asking Hitomi and Nako things about the bistro and the recent happenings around the island. Their talks didn’t let up even when the food arrived and they all started digging in.

“We’re actually planning a trip to the mainland soon,” Hitomi told Chaewon when the topic of sightseeing in Seoul came up.

“Really? When will that be?” Chaewon asked as she took another slice of pajeon.

“Nothing concrete yet,” Nako said as she shifted her eyes up in contemplation. “We’re waiting for someone to arrive so we could go. Even Yuri’s pushing us to visit Busan for her.”

“And for good reason!” Yuri exclaimed just as she went back to slurping soup.

“But wasn’t there an accident lately? I heard from the news that some people got in a car crash on the way there,” Hitomi said.

“Really?” Nako immediately took her phone to check the news about the incident. Her eyes widened at the headline that she read.

“'Athlete Ahn Yujin and model-actress Jang Wonyoung involved in a hit-and-run en route to Busan'.”

“Ahn Yujin? Jang Wonyoung?” Minju piped up from her bowl of soba.

Chaewon turned to the girl beside her. “You know them?”

“I interviewed Yujin before her qualifying match that earned her a ticket to the Olympics. As for Wonyoung, the girl’s pretty famous.”

“Well it says here it got pretty bad, but they got sent to the best hospital, and the driver who hit them got arrested as well. Looks like the two of them will be taking a break from their respective jobs,” Nako explained as she finished reading the article on her phone.

“Well, hopefully no other accident will happen right?” Yuri said with a worried look.

All the women at the table nodded in agreement.

“Anyway, in other news,” Hitomi started, looking at Chaewon and Minju who were sat beside each other. “Chaewon-unnie, I heard you took Minju around?”

Minju almost spat her drink by how Hitomi worded what she said.

“Yeah I did,” Chaewon said, directing a sly look at Minju. “She was convinced I was gonna kill her on the mountain.”

“I was not!” Minju defended herself.

Laughter erupted at the table as the four women continued their conversations well into the night, shifting from one topic to another.

Minju felt her heart light being in good company, and she didn’t know she would actually feel this way again.

She can feel herself breathe freely, something that hasn’t happened in a while.

She looks at Chaewon beside her, who was talking animatedly to the younger women about the events at the daycare earlier.

Minju silently thanked the older girl, knowing that she was the reason why she’s starting to feel the burden lift off her shoulders little by little.

Filled with hope for better days, Minju joined back in the conversation enthusiastically just as Yuri directed a question at her, smiling brightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: DOUBLE UPDATE! Happy birthday, Chaewon!


	6. chapter iii

Ding dong. Ding dong.

_The first bell rang as soon as Minju stepped in the class, sliding the door forcefully. All of her classmates turned their heads to see the girl all disheveled, her hair unkempt, her uniform obviously put on with haste._

_“Good morning!” Minju greeted._

_Some of her classmates greeted her back as she made her way to her seat, her close friends already flocking near her._

_“Am I late?” she asked them._

_“You’re barely just in time,” her friend said. “Good thing the teacher isn’t here yet.”_

_“I can’t believe I slept through my alarm,” Minju said as she plopped down on her seat, trying to regain her breath. “The school paper and the student council was out all night yesterday attending some event. I got home dead tired and just passed out as soon as I reached my bed.”_

_Her friends chuckled at her predicament, one of them giving Minju some bread and a carton of milk as they knew the girl hasn’t had her breakfast yet, Minju saying thanks in return._

_“Man you news kids and council kids really have it tough, huh,” another one of her friends told her in an apologetic tone._

_Minju has been a student at her new high school for months now, and ever since she became a member of the journalism club she had barely been inside the classroom. She’ll only be able to attend a full day of classes once or twice a week since the school paper always had to go somewhere to attend events, most of the time with the student council._

_Though Minju missed being a normal student who only had to worry about keeping her grades up, she knew she was actually enjoying being able to write news. It was a passion that she discovered in middle school, and has loved it since then._

_(Minju didn’t need to worry about her grades, however. She had always been a good student and despite being absent in class all the time, she still maintained her spot at the top of her year. Her friends always asked her if she was even human.)_

_Besides, there was a bright side that came to being away from school all the time: she could see Kim Chaewon a.k.a. her crush in every event they go to, which easily becomes the highlight of her day always._

_Minju popped her straw into her milk. “You have no idea.”_

_Barely five minutes in her seat talking with her friends, the class heard the school’s public announcement system come on._

_“All members of the student council and journalism club, come to your respective clubrooms immediately. I repeat, all members…”_

_Minju groaned at the announcement, putting her head down and shaking it in annoyance._

_“I just barely got here… What do they want now…”_

_Her friends all gave the girl apologetic smiles. They watched Minju finish her bread and milk and throwing her trash at the nearby bin. She then returned to them and bade them goodbye, picking up her bag at the same time._

_“I guess I’ll see you guys later… hopefully…”_

_Her friends laughed._

_“Don’t worry, we won’t be going anywhere.”_

_Minju gave them one last wave and headed out, sprinting to the journalism club room._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“Sorry, I’m late!”_

_Minju said as she entered the clubroom and immediately went to her designated desk._

_Park Chaewon was sitting on her desk by the far end of the room against the windows, her arms crossed as she sipped on a cup of her tea that she always enjoys in the morning._

_(The editor-in-chief always makes tea for the whole club in the morning, saying it was to “start the day right”. That’s why the whole clubroom smelled perpetually of tea, only changing to the scent of coffee when deadlines are dangerously near and everyone stayed overnight to finish the paper.)_

_“Not really, everybody just got here as well,” Chaewon said, smiling at the junior writer._

_Minju let out a sigh of relief as she put her things down and went to fix herself her own cup of tea._

_All the members of the school paper then fell into a silence, waiting for their head to speak. Chaewon didn’t say anything as her eyes were fixed on the clock at the top of the whiteboard, just continuing to sip her tea. She held up an index finger to indicate to everyone to stay quiet, as if she was listening to something._

_“Five… four… three… two…” Chaewon muttered under her breath._

_“Uuuuurrrrgggghhh…”_

_A collective groan was heard from the room next to theirs, namely the student council room. The student-journalists all gave out chuckles at what they just heard._

_“What was that?” Minju asked, completely lost on what was happening._

_“That,” Chaewon started, putting her cup down on her desk. “Was the sound of the student council finding out why they were there, which happens to be the same reason why all of you are here, too.”_

_The head of the club moved from her desk towards the whiteboard, picking up a red pen and started scribbling on it._

_As the members started to make out what Chaewon was writing, they gave out groans themselves, particularly the senior members._

_After marking what she wrote with a huge circle, Chaewon put the pen down and faced the members again._

_“School festival starts next week, everyone.”_

_“This is gonna be such a pain in the ass…” a senior writer muttered out._

_“Exactly,” Chaewon said. “And as much as I want to get mad at the administration for the short notice, we don’t wanna waste time, do we?”_

_A collection of grunts and murmurs of agreement was heard throughout the room at what the editor-in-chief said._

_“Okay, so let’s start. For the sake of the new guys, I’ll tell you all about the annual school festival held by this school for the elite,” Chaewon started explaining as she picked up a different colored pen to start writing details of the event on the board._

_Snickers were heard everywhere by how Chaewon described their alma mater, Minju even giving a smile of her own._

_“Basically it’s just like your typical school festival, only ten times more massive and grander, because our school is unnecessarily huge.”_

_The people in the room gave out a laugh again._

_“The whole area of the school will be filled with events, activities, attractions, all that stuff. And it’s our duty, as the journalism club, to cover_ each _and_ every _single one of them,” the head spoke out, emphasizing her last words well._

_A louder groan echoed throughout the room, as well as some bursts of random expletives due to the mutual discontent among the people in the room._

_“We’re gonna need coverage from the back of the school area, meaning the botany kids and their greenhouse, all the way to the front, where random booths will be set up as well as a mini-stage in the field for whatever show they’re gonna put out.”_

_Minju and the rest of the student-journalists were jotting down what Chaewon was saying for details on what they were going to write news about while glancing at the map of the school located beside the bulletin board. They needed all the information they can get to be prepared for wherever area they get assigned._

_“Since we’re understaffed as is, we’ll be needing the photojournalists to write, and the writers to take pictures. We’re also in charge of making the guide book for the festival, so take as much as you can,” Chaewon continued._

_“W-We’re making a guide book?” Minju asked in disbelief._

_The editor-in-chief just shrugged at her in return. “Our school is the most extra in the whole country. Also, they told us some execs from universities both local and international are gonna be visiting to see the so-called ‘peak Korean student culture’ or whatever bullshit they fed them, so we have the rest of the week to prepare.”_

_“And you think we’re gonna pull this off within a_ week _?!” one of the photographers said._

_“Well the students that go here are loaded anyway, especially that ass you call the student council president, so I actually think a week is more than enough,” Chaewon answered with a smirk._

_All of them nodded in agreement._

_“So yeah, there you have it!” Chaewon said in finality. “You’ll be stuck inside this dingy clubroom getting high on jasmine tea leaves until we finalize assignments for the whole festival week. Any objections?”_

_“None!”_

_“Alright, let’s get to work!”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“Class 2-C, Class 2-C… Where is it…?”_

_Minju was wandering around in one of the hallways where classrooms for the sophomores were located, the whole building assigned to her write coverage about._

_The school festival of Jungshin High School was in full swing, and wherever Minju looked the whole school was packed by its own students as well as visitors from other schools, even the occasional passerby was seen at one of the stalls need the entrance. True to what their editor-in-chief said however, Minju also caught glimpses of some suited men being invited into the school offices and to some attractions, being attended by the school’s administrative officers._

_Minju supposed the whole school was filled with kiss-asses of all ages._

_She went back to the task at hand, continuing her search for the lost classroom. Her ordeal proved to be more difficult than what she anticipated as the sophomore hallways were crowded by busy students fixing up their classrooms, props and other decorations used for their attractions propped up the walls opposite their classroom doors. Busy people ran across the whole length of the halls, probably the only time they were allowed to run indoors._

_Amidst all of the chaos, Minju suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, making her shiver from head to toe._

_She slowly turned her head back to see who caught her, finding herself making eye contact with a boy she never met before._

_“Class 1-A Kim Minju?” the stranger said._

_“...Yes?” Minju answered with a small voice._

_As soon as Minju gave her answer, the stranger immediately moved his other hand._

_Suddenly Minju felt something cold on her wrist._

_“Huh?”_

_Minju raised her right hand and saw a plastic handcuff locked around her wrist, and she widened her eyes in mixed confusion and disbelief._

_“Come with me please,” the stranger said as he pulled Minju with him by tugging on the handcuff._

_“W-Wha—?”_

_Minju had no choice but to follow, her anxiety growing as she didn’t know where she was being taken to. This was one of the few and only times that she had stepped foot on one of the upperclassman floors, so this was technically unchartered area for her._

_They stopped in front of one of the classrooms, and Minju looked above to see which room it was._

Class 2-A.

_The stranger slid the door open and led her inside, the interior set up so that the desks and chairs were pushed up against the walls, while some formed a line by the far wall with people on their laptops, a stack of walkie-talkies beside them._

_Minju was led to one of the tables where a female student was glancing between the screen of her laptop and a sheet of paper beside her, tapping her pen on the table as she didn’t notice the two people approaching her._

_Minju’s captor then spoke to the female student._

_“1-A Kim Minju caught,” he said._

_The female student then looked up, immediately smiling._

_“Alright,” she said, immediately standing up from her seat as she stroke through something on the sheet of paper on her table._

_The student took the cuff that held Minju’s wrist from her classmate as the other moved away to somewhere else. The girl looked at Minju with a friendly smile._

_“Welcome to Class 2-A’s Handcuff Booth! Please wait a while until your designated partner arrives!”_

_The freshman girl was taken aback from what she heard._

Handcuff Booth?

_A loud sound came from the direction of the door as it was slid open again, and came in another pair approaching Minju and the sophomore girl._

_Minju was definitely surprised when she saw who was the one who got caught by another captor._

_“2-A Kim Chaewon caught.”_

_The youngest girl in the room suddenly held her head down, feeling her face getting hotter by the second at the sight of her crush._

_Who currently had the face of someone who wanted to commit murder._

_“You better tell me whose good idea it was to sign me up here, or else I’m gonna shut this whole place down,” Chaewon said in a low threatening voice._

_“Sorry Chae, that’s confidential. Especially since they paid a huge amount of money to have you caught,” her classmate told her without losing her smile, glancing at the sheet of paper on her desk._

_That was when Minju noticed what was written on it._

1-A Kim Minju x 2-A Kim Chaewon - Normal handcuff, 3 hours

_Minju felt the whole world around her dissolve at the same time her heart stopped beating._

_While Minju was having a meltdown to the side, the two sophomores continued their conversation without taking notice of the youngest girl among them._

_“Besides, you wouldn’t want your own class’s booth to cease operations, right? That wouldn’t look too good on your student council track record,” the sophomore girl said with a sly smile._

_Chaewon just frowned at her classmate. “As if I had a track record to begin with.”_

_The other girl nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. You never really cared about keeping up airs in this school, which is quite admirable really.”_

_The two finally remembered that Minju was there as both of them glanced at her._

_“Oh right! Here’s your partner for the next three hours.”_

_Chaewon’s classmate then took the handcuffs around Minju’s right wrist and put the other ring around Chaewon’s left hand._

_“Take it easy on her, Chae. You tend to scare the freshmen away.”_

_“I do not.”_

_The other girl just gave her a chuckle, as she locked the handcuffs in place, the key immediately stuffed in her pocket._

_“Anyway, you have to be back here by 3 P.M., if you want your hands back. For now, enjoy the festival!”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_Minju was beyond nervous._

_Her plan of spending the day at school was to go around campus taking photos and notes of the different attractions for the school paper as what was instructed, and after that go back to her own class’s booth to help out. Maybe even spend some money on a few stalls that piqued her interest. Next, she’ll go back to the clubroom to get a headstart on her writing, and then head home when it was time to._

_None of it included being stuck with someone with a handcuff for the next three hours._

_With said someone being her crush ever since she started school._

_She chanced a glance at the older girl walking beside her, who became her impromptu companion on her adventure around the school festival._

_Chaewon had her signature blank look on her face, looking ahead, her brown hair framing her small head._

_Minju still found Chaewon to be too beautiful._

_They had only been walking for a few minutes around the halls silently, and Minju felt like she was going to combust with the close proximity she had with the senior._

_Sometimes a random person would come running past them that would force Chaewon to sidestep suddenly to avoid a collision, which in turn will cause them to accidentally touch shoulders. And with every contact that happens, even with all the layers of their school uniform on her, Minju felt her skin spark._

_Not to mention the cute look Chaewon sends her way whenever she apologizes for the small bumps._

_“Sorry,” Chaewon said to Minju for the nth time after an overeager freshman ran by them on the way to see the next classroom’s attraction._

_“N-No, it’s fine!” Minju answered back, still shying away from the sophomore._

_“It must be hard for you,” Chaewon said, raising her left wrist that was cuffed to Minju’s right. “Being stuck with me for three hours.”_

_“No, not at all…” the younger girl replied quietly. “I’m not having a hard time at all.”_

_If anything, Minju was having the time of her life._

_She suddenly heard the older girl pop her a question._

_“Ah, right. Aren’t you supposed to be doing work for the school paper right now?”_

_“Uh, yes…” Minju said. “But it’s okay, sunbaenim! I can go around school later. We can go wherever you want to go.”_

_“‘Unnie’,” Chaewon looked at her, a soft smile on her lips. “Call me ‘unnie’. Then in turn, I’ll call you Minju. Would that be okay?”_

_The younger girl nodded meekly at her._

_“C-Chaewon-unnie.”_

_Chaewon’s smile grew wider._

_“Anyway, I’m going around school anyway to check the exhibits myself, so what if we go to every place that you and I need to go to so you can do work at the same time? That’ll be like hitting two birds with one stone, right?”_

_“Y-Yeah, that’s a good idea!”_

_“Alright then. Where do we go to first?”_

_“U-Uh…” Minju reached for the list of places she needed to see with her free hand. “The kimchi-making exhibit over at the greenhouse.”_

_“Oh, that sounds fun,” Chaewon tells her. “I heard they were making kimchi dishes for us to taste too.”_

_“Then shall we go, Chaewon-su— I mean, Chaewon-unnie?”_

_The older girl chuckled at Minju’s stutter._

_“Let’s go!”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“Minju, say ‘aah’.”_

_Minju looked at the older girl in front of her incredulously, who currently had her right hand up in the air, holding a spoonful of kimchi fried rice._

_They were currently sitting on one of the tables set out by the greenhouse eating a shared plate of fried rice. As soon as they stepped foot within the area occupied by the agriculture and home economics students, the smell of food being cooked immediately wafted into their noses and made their stomachs rumble. The two decided to check the demonstrations first before grabbing something to eat._

_Minju had difficulty holding her camera and her small notebook without the use of her cuffed hand since she was conscious not to raise it or else Chaewon’s own hand will move along with it. Not only that, Minju was right-handed, which happened to be the one linked to Chaewon’s left. She had to resort to writing with her left hand, raising a leg to stand on one knee so as to put her notepad on her thigh to write better._

_Chaewon noticed this, however._

_“Minju, aren’t you right-handed?” she asked as she saw the girl using her left hand to write wonky letters on her notepad stuck on a raised lap._

Crap _, she thought._ I got found out.

_“Um… yes?”_

_Chaewon shot her a worried look as she saw her balance on one leg._

_The older girl then sighed, which then turned into a small chuckle._

_“Did you suddenly forget how to use your right hand?”_

_“U-Um…”_

_Minju didn’t know what to answer._

_She couldn’t possibly just say that she didn’t want to use her right hand as she didn’t want to trouble Chaewon._

_Chaewon moved her left hand to pat Minju’s raised leg, silently telling the girl to put it down. Minju did as she was told, and as she switched to hold the pad in her left hand along with her pen, Chaewon loosely held Minju’s right arm, just below the plastic cuff._

_As Minju turned to look at the older girl, wondering what she was doing despite feeling heat spread across her face all the way to her exposed ears, Chaewon just gave her a grin._

_“I’ll hold your arm like this, so my hand won’t feel like dead weight when you use your right hand. Okay?”_

_Minju’s heart felt like it decided to stop beating right then and there, but for some reason, it also felt like it beat faster in a minute than the world’s fastest EDM song._

_All because of how Chaewon looked at her at that moment._

_Chaewon was way too_ pretty _, too_ beautiful _, too_ ethereal _. Her hair caught the sun’s rays at the_ right _angle that made her look like an angel sent from above that Minju doesn’t think she deserves. Her smile was the_ brightest _she had ever seen and had the potential to blind her instantly compared to staring directly at the sun._

_And the feeling of Chaewon’s touch on her skin…_ oh god _._

_To Minju, Chaewon’s mere existence was_ illegal _and the older girl should be sent to death row for making Minju feel this way about her, but Minju would gladly go in her stead and take the firing squad for her._

_She didn’t know when it happened, but it just did._

_Minju was falling._

_And_ fast _._

_The thought of offing herself seemed attractive to Minju at that very second._

_Amidst her hopefully-not-obvious gay panic, Minju was still able to regain her voice._

_“O-Okay! Thank you for being considerate of me, unnie…”_

_“No problem at all. I can even take pictures for you if you want.”_

_Minju agreed to this, and so started their teamwork of Chaewon taking pictures for her and Minju writing notes while Chaewon’s hand is fastened to her arm, only letting go when Minju puts her hand down._

_And now they’re sitting face-to-face, eating fried rice with some pajeon to the side, with Chaewon about to feed Minju._

_“U-Unnie… I can feed myself…” she managed to mutter out._

_The girl in question just raised an eyebrow at her._

_“Will you be able to hold your spoon properly with your left hand?”_

_Chaewon was right._

_Minju stayed quiet, not knowing how to answer._

_The older girl just nodded at her._

_“I thought so.”_

_Chaewon prompted Minju again to open her mouth._

_“Say ‘aah’.”_

_“A-Aah…”_

_From an outsider’s point of view, it looked like Minju was reluctantly agreeing to Chaewon’s whims. Everyone was more or less knowledgeable of the student council vice president’s reputation in the school, being described as a “cold beauty who had balls of steel the president is supposed to have”. To someone who wasn’t close with either Minju or Chaewon, the sight would seem as if Chaewon was actually bullying the freshman._

_But Minju was having the time of her life, having the rare opportunity of being spoiled by her favorite senior like this._

_So without thinking of anything else, she let Chaewon feed her, all the while falling into a comfortable conversation with each other._

_(Minju didn’t want to think how Chaewon was using one spoon only to feed both of them.)_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_Chaewon glanced at the watch on her right wrist as Minju and her were walking along the stalls near the school’s gate._

_It was almost 3 PM._

_Meaning, it was almost time to separate with Minju._

_She didn’t like that thought._

_She shoved her hand back to her blazer’s pocket to get her mind off the time, trying to prolong the inevitable. She then chanced a glance at the younger girl beside her._

_They were currently in front of a huge float filled with flowers of different sorts, with Minju diligently taking notes as the student in charge of the float explained the attraction._

_Chaewon got a good (great) look of Minju’s face when they were eating at the greenhouse area earlier, and she didn’t really know how she managed to maintain eye contact with the younger girl the whole duration of the meal. Minju was beautiful, definitely, to the point that sometimes it hurts to look at her. It felt like every time she saw her, her knees would give out and she would fall._

_Chaewon didn’t know when it started to grow into something more, but she knew she harbored feelings for the younger girl the moment she laid her eyes on her all those months ago, at the daycare._

_When she told Eunbi about her crush on the freshman, her older friend did not cease to tease her about it. And when she told her about her plans for the school festival, her teasing became more frequent, only mixed in with words of encouragement._

_Her eyes moved from Minju’s (beautiful) side profile to her hand holding on to the younger’s arm as she wrote in her notepad._

_It would be so,_ so _easy to slide her hand to hold Minju’s own. Probably even thread their fingers together._

_This was probably one of the hardest times Chaewon had to resist temptation._

_But this was enough. For now, at least._

_Maybe in a few days, if all goes well, she’ll be able to hold that hand as much as she wants._

_She took out her phone from her pocket and, in the pretense of helping Minju take photos, she opened her phone’s camera and directed it at her hand grasping Minju’s arm._

Snap.

_And off the shutter went._

_When Minju heard the sound of the shutter, she turned her head to look at Chaewon, who quickly moved her hand so her phone was facing the giant flower float._

_“I still don’t know why you do all this for me, unnie,” said the freshman just as she stashed her pen and notepad into her pocket._

_“To lessen your burden of course,” Chaewon said as they begin moving away from the float. “Unless you suddenly grow a new arm, then I’d be happy to leave everything to you.”_

_“T-That’s kinda scary…” she heard Minju mutter._

You’d be cute either way _, Chaewon thought._

_Chaewon began leading the way back to the school building._

_“Anyway, we should start getting back to my classroom…”_

_The older girl suddenly stopped as she came across a booth enclosed in a tent that caught her attention._

_“What is it, Chaewon-unnie?”_

_“N-Nothing,” Chaewon looked back at Minju. “Let’s go so we can finally get our hands back.”_

_They started walking again, and Chaewon made a mental note to visit the booth the following day._

_When they reached Class 2-A’s room, they went to Chaewon’s classmate who had the key. The girl then immediately fished out the handcuff’s key out of her pocket to unlock it, effectively setting free Chaewon and Minju’s respective wrists from their binding._

_“Good work! I hope you enjoyed your time spent together.”_

_Chaewon just shrugged._

_“It wasn’t that bad, I guess.”_

_It wasn’t bad at all. It was beyond that._

_“I had a good time…!” Minju piped up from beside her. “Chaewon-unnie actually took care of me.”_

_Chaewon smiled at Minju’s answer._

_“Oh, is that so?” Chaewon’s classmate looked at the two of them with sly eyes and a smirk._

_The soft look on Chaewon’s face melted quickly into a glare directed at her friend, who just held up her hands._

_“Anyway, I’m sure you two are busy with whatever official council and-or news business you have to attend to, so off you go!”_

_And just like that, they were kicked out of the classroom._

_Chaewon couldn’t believe she just got kicked out of her own classroom._

_“Um…”_

_She heard Minju mutter, so she turned to look at her._

_“Thank you, unnie,” the younger girl said as she smiled, and Chaewon could see the blush evident on her face. “I had fun.”_

_The sophomore could feel her own face heating up as well. She returned the smile to try and keep the blush at bay._

_“Yeah, I did too. Thanks.”_

_Chaewon felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, fishing it out to see a message on her screen._

_“Listen, uh… I gotta go. Council stuff,” she told Minju, placing the phone back in her pocket._

_“O-Okay.”_

_“You enjoy the rest of the festival, okay? I’ll see you around, Minju.”_

_“Y-Yes! You too, unnie!”_

_With one last wave at Minju, she bade her goodbye and made her way to the student council room._

_All the while thinking of the plan she was going to execute in a few days._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_Chaewon came back to the booth the next day, the one she saw with Minju._

_She stepped inside the tent, her eyes darting around the whole enclosure to see if there was something interesting she could find._

_Her eyes then laid on a few things that had similar colors._

_“Hey, excuse me,” she called out to the student in charge of the booth._

_“Yes?”_

_“Could you make me a bouquet with these flowers?”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“I’m sorry!”_

_Minju was bowing in front of Park Chaewon, who was sat on her “boss desk” proofreading some of the articles already sent to her. The freshman was apologizing profusely at her senior, apparently for a grave mistake._

_“The pictures… I lost the pictures…”_

_The editor-in-chief cocked an eyebrow at her._

_“What pictures?”_

_“T-The ones I took the other day… when I was going around school…”_

_To be specific, Minju forgot to ask Chaewon for the pictures she offered to take. She didn’t have any means to contact the sophomore, and she searched the whole school for her, but she never knew the vice president was that elusive._

_And now, she was about to turn in what she had written for the paper, only without pictures._

_“I-I’m really sorry…” Minju apologized again as she explained what happened._

_“Oh,_ those _photos?” Chaewon suddenly quipped._

_“W-What?”_

_The older girl turned to her open laptop and maneuvered her mouse to open a folder. She turned her laptop around so that Minju could see what was on the screen._

_Her eyes grew wider at what she saw._

_All of the photos the other Chaewon took for her was there._

_“Kim Chaewon actually sent me these last night. She said it was from you.”_

_“Uh, yes… She told me she could take photos instead so I could focus on writing.”_

_“I see. She’s weirdly helpful like that, don’t you think?”_

_Minju just nodded. As her thoughts flit back to the events that happened the other day, she felt herself getting red again._

_She shook her head to chase them away. Now was not the time to daydream about her crush._

_“Ah, speak of the devil.”_

_Minju looked up to see the editor-in-chief pick her phone up from the table to see a notification._

_“Kim texted. She said she needs you for something and is asking if you could drop by next door just before the bonfire starts.”_

_It was the last day of the school festival, and in their school’s tradition, a huge bonfire will be lit in the middle of the field to end the week-long activities in high spirits. All of the school’s population will be gathered in the field to witness it, while others opt to watch from the building’s windows._

_As for the school paper, usually they are needed where the action takes place, which is in the field._

_“‘Before the bonfire’? Wouldn’t you need me down there?”_

_“Nah, I don’t think so,” the sophomore looked at her. “You wrote way too much already so I’m gonna let the others do it. It’s your first festival in this school, so you should enjoy it.”_

_“Okay, thanks I guess…” Minju answered, elated that she has the rest of the day free._

_“If Kim Chaewon keeps you from watching the bonfire, then I want you to tell me, okay? So I can have a word with her.”_

_“Noted,” Minju answered at Park Chaewon’s threat._

_Minju knew she shouldn’t laugh, but having the other girl, who had a naturally small voice, spit out a threat in what seems to be her attempt at a menacing tone, was equal parts cute and funny._

_But she knew better than to cross her boss._

_“Anyway, go away, shoo. Go be with your friends and help your class out or something. Have fun, freshman.”_

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“U-Unnie…”_

“You can do this, Chaewon!”

_“I think I’m gonna be sick…”_

_Chaewon couldn’t handle her heart beating fast._

_She was never this nervous before._

_She leaned over on her desk at the student council room, feeling her heart hammering against her chest as if it was going to break out of her ribcage anytime soon._

_Not to mention her lunch was threatening to make a reappearance on the floor._

“Relax! You got this.”

_“And what if I_ don’t _get this?”_

“...Then it’s not your loss?”

_“That… That isn’t really helpful…”_

“Come on, this will definitely end well. I can feel it. Just trust me.”

_“Is this another one of your psychic predictions? Because for once, I really hope you’re right.”_

“Don’t worry, Chae. You have nothing to worry about.”

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_It was seven in the evening._

_The sun was dipping in the horizon as the sky colored itself in pinks and oranges. Students of Jungshin High were already forming a crowd around the big wooden setup in the middle of the field to start the countdown for the bonfire, their loudness growing by the second._

_Minju was walking in the now empty and quiet hallways of the school building, on her way to the student council room. Her friends invited her to watch the closing ceremony in the field, to which she said she declined._

_“I was called to the student council room,” she explained to them._

_“They’re making you do more work? Give us their names, Minju-yah!”_

_It took a while to calm her friends down._

_It disappointed her a bit to not be able to watch the lighting with her friends, but she somehow felt excitement run through her._

_She was going to see Chaewon again._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_Chaewon was beyond worried._

_She was looking out at the field from the student council room’s window, being the only one left in the room._

_While she was thankful for Eunbi comforting her in their phone call earlier, her heart didn’t slow down from pounding in her chest at all._

_She turned around to see the bouquet on the desk._

_Just looking at it made her more nervous._

_She inhaled deeply and slowly breathed out all the air, trying to keep calm._

_The echo of footsteps on the empty hallway outside suddenly reached her ears._

_It must be her._

_So much for trying to calm herself down._

_She moved to grab the bouquet from the table, the plastic covering it crumpling as she gripped it with shaking hands. Her legs were threatening to give out as well, she could barely keep standing up._

_The footsteps were getting closer as the echo faded away into more solid sounds._

_It stopped just as the top of someone’s head peeked from the glass on the door, knocking sounds from the door coming after._

_Chaewon released one last breath and braced herself._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_Minju opened the door and saw Chaewon’s silhouette against the orange light of the setting sun, the only source of light in the room as all the lights were turned off._

_Goodness. The other girl looked like an angel descending from heaven._

_She tried her best not to gasp at the sight, keeping herself composed._

_Meanwhile, when Chaewon saw the younger girl pop her head in the room, the sun’s rays hitting her face, her whole body felt like dropping to the floor, eyes wide._

_Minju looked like a deity that had glowing skin which inflicted pain if you look at her._

_“Unnie, you wanted to see me?” the younger girl asked._

_“Uh, yeah…” Chaewon cleared her throat as another attempt to calm down._

_The bouquet was behind her hidden from Minju’s view. Just before she opened the door, Chaewon moved to lean her hip on the center table in front of the windows just to keep herself from falling._

_Chaewon crossed her arms in front of her and looked down at the floor, a serious look on her face._

_Minju got worried seeing Chaewon like that, and started to think if she did something to the older girl that offended her. She stepped closer to the girl just as she let out a question in a small voice._

_“Did… Did I do something wrong…?”_

_Chaewon gave no answer, only making Minju’s worries grow._

_But Chaewon was preoccupied with her thoughts, wondering how she was going to proceed with what she wants to do._

_All the while repeating a line in her head, as she finally gained the courage to look at the girl in front of her._

Be still, my heart.

_“I…”_

_Chaewon began speaking._

_Minju stayed silent to let the other girl continue._

_“I really don’t know how to say this, but someone…” she paused to clear her throat again, which was getting drier by the second. “Someone told me I should just… go for it and get it done with.”_

_Minju got confused at the older girl’s words. What is “it”? What was she going to do?_

_Chaewon paused again to recollect her thoughts, and this was when both of them noticed how quiet everything suddenly became._

_They were alone in the unlit room, probably on the whole floor as all the students were outside on the field. The loud cheers from the people below seemed distant, which gave an impression to the two girls that they were wrapped in a tranquil air._

_As if time had stopped, and it was only them in their own world._

_Letting out another breath, Chaewon mustered up all the strength in her to finally say what she wanted to say._

_“Kim Minju, I…”_

_The younger girl just continued to look at Chaewon, slowly realizing what she was about to say, her eyes getting wider._

No way. Is she…?

_“I like you.”_

What…?

What did she just say?

_Minju just stared at Chaewon dumbfoundedly, her jaw dropped to the floor._

_She felt numb from everything, detached from the world. The only thing she hears is the three words she just heard._

_Chaewon just continued to explain._

_“I’ve liked you ever since that day, at the daycare… I know you’re gonna think that I’m weird because I had feelings for you even before I really got to know you but… I don’t know, it just happened.”_

_Chaewon gripped the borders of the table she was leaning on tighter, her knuckles shaking as she struggled to contain herself from pouring her heart out in one go._

_“A-And, I feel like it’s a blessing, to be able to watch you closely because our clubs are always together. When you got into the school paper, I was so happy because you seemed to like writing so much. I was proud that I made the right decision, and that’s when I realized, I wanted to see you smile more. Because your smile… god, your smile… it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen._

_“More than that, more than anything, I want to be the reason why you smile.”_

_A tear leaked from Chaewon’s eye. She wasn’t used to speaking her feelings like this, and her heart was in pain from all the adoration she has for Minju. But if this pain was necessary to let the younger girl know how much she likes her, then she’ll gladly take it._

_“That’s why I’m going to ask you this. And I’ll understand immediately if you say no.”_

_Chaewon slowly took the bouquet from behind her and held it in front with both hands. She walked timidly closer to Minju, who just continued to watch her with a surprised look._

_She then stretched her hands to ask Minju to receive her question as well as the bouquet._

_“Minju, will you go out with me…?”_

_From staring at Chaewon’s glassy eyes, Minju looked down at the bouquet in her hands._

_It was an intricate arrangement of white roses, baby’s breath, and white hydrangea. The collection of flowers were bunched together in white paper and a sheet of plastic, secured with a white ribbon._

_“P-Please go out with me.”_

_Chaewon mumbled again, this time with less conviction._

_Minju looked back at Chaewon, who had her eyes on her, a serious look on her face, full of anxiety._

_That’s when everything set in._

_Minju gasped as she covered her mouth with a hand, closing her eyes as a stream of tears flowed out of them._

_“Minju?” she heard Chaewon ask in worry._

_“I… I’m so happy…”_

_Minju felt her heart ache, but the pain she felt was something that also made her so full of warmth inside._

_And the cause of it was standing in front of her._

_She welcomed it wholly as her tears continued to drop._

_“I’m so happy, unnie…”_

_She looked up at Chaewon again, the older girl’s expression that of mixed worry and confusion._

_The younger girl smiled widely at her, still crying._

_And that very smile was going to be Chaewon’s favorite smile from Minju for years to come._

_“Yes…!”_

_It was Chaewon’s turn to be surprised._

_“Yes… I’ll happily go out with you, unnie.”_

_Chaewon stared at Minju, suddenly letting in a sharp inhale and holding it for a split second. She then let it out heavily._

_“Oh my god…” she muttered out, as all the tension immediately left her body, letting her relax._

_She moved to wrap the younger girl in a tight hug, hoping that everything left unsaid was communicated through it._

_“Thank you, Minju… Thank you.”_

_Minju returned Chaewon’s hug with equal fervor._

_Chaewon moved away and looked at Minju softly, her fondness evident. She then moved her hand to give the bouquet to the younger girl, to which Minju received joyfully._

_“These are for you,” she said, smiling._

_“Thanks, they’re really pretty. But… why are all of them white?”_

_“Um, well…” Chaewon retracted a hand to rub the back of her neck, shyly looking away from Minju._

_“White suits you. And white flowers just reminded me of you, that’s all.”_

_Minju smiled at the answer._

_Just then, they heard a loud chant coming from the crowd outside._

_“Ten, night, eight…!”_

_Chaewon looked behind her shoulder, towards the window._

_“They’re about to light the fire.”_

_The older girl looked back at Minju and reached out her left hand, a grin on her lips._

_“Come, let’s watch it together.”_

_Minju returned her grin and accepted Chaewon’s hand with her right one, the bouquet in her left._

_They walked hand in hand towards the window of the student council room, and just as the countdown reached its end, the last of the sun’s rays shone across the sky, now a dark hue of blue._

_“Three, two, one…!”_

_The bright orange flame shot up in the middle of the field, the crowd around them illuminated in its glow. At the same time of the wooden setup catching fire, fireworks shot up to the sky, splashing different colors on the blue canvas of the sky._

_Chaewon and Minju watched this moment together, the warmth felt stemming from their interlocked hands branching out to reach their hearts._

_They were soaked in the feeling of sharing the same passion for each other, of being together on cloud nine._

_They were happy._

_It could only get better from here._

_As they watched the fireworks burst into the sky, a silent realization came to Chaewon that made her smile wider, her heart fuller._

_Chaewon can finally hold Minju’s hand as much as she wants._

  
  


_\---_

  
  


_“...Fuck.”_

_Eunbi looked over at Chaewon, who was seated beside her on the couch looking at her phone, instead of the movie playing in front of them._

_“What’s up with you all of a sudden?”_

_The younger girl put her phone down in the middle of them and held her face in both of her hands._

_Eunbi could see red in Chaewon’s ears._

_She picked up Chaewon’s phone and saw what the younger girl was reading about._

_Flower meanings._

_Specifically the meanings of the flowers in the bouquet she gave Minju._

_Eunbi could feel a laugh about to spill from her mouth._

_“Unnie… I gave her a wedding bouquet…”_

_Howls of laughter were heard throughout the night, along with the sounds of the television, and a very embarrassed high school girl whining while slapping a college freshman with a pillow repeatedly._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: That's it for now. Once again, happy birthday to our ssamu, Kim Chaewon! God I love that kid so much...
> 
> This is important, so I hope nobody skips this.
> 
> I'm starting school in a few days, literally on August 5, and being a college student is no easy task especially for a lazy ass like me... So I'm here to tell you that updates will be really really slow, but I'll try to update as much as I can. And as I said, I don't really read the comments much, but it would really help me out a lot if the first thing I see isn't someone asking for an update... Please kindly refrain from doing so...
> 
> Anyway, thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU so much for reading! I greatly appreciate it DDDD: if you have thoughts on the story then please always remember that the comment section is your friend. But if you hate the comment section, then hit me up on twitter or curiouscat :D It's @seungchaeng and the cc link is in my bio. Don't worry, I'm harmless I swear :D
> 
> Until then! Please love IZ*ONE with all your heart. Thanks again for your time!


	7. Chapter 4

The day after Chaewon took her to Bijobong peak, she woke her up in the middle of the night without telling her why. 

Minju was dreaming about kissing green radish wraps when she was shaken awake, the perpetrator peering her over from the side of the bed.

She almost threw a pillow at her in her barely conscious state, and it took a while for her to register Chaewon’s all dressed-up image in her brain.

“We have to go somewhere,” Chaewon suddenly told her as soon as she sat up, her hair still a disheveled mess.

“And where, pray tell, do we have to go at… I don’t know, three in the morning, I guess?” 

Minju asked back as she glanced at the large windows in the room that didn't show any light from the outside, immediately closing her eyes after.

She couldn’t hide her irritation bubbling just below the surface. Surely Chaewon would understand that a newly-awoken person didn’t have the best of moods.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Chaewon said without faltering. Minju opened an eye slightly to see the older girl smiling at her, a hint of a tease in her lips.

She decided to humor Chaewon, telling her to wait downstairs as she got ready.

Before Chaewon left the room, just as she was about to exit from the doorway, Minju stopped her.

“Chaewon-unnie,” Minju called out, opening her eyes to look at her which were threatening to fall back down again.

“Yeah?” 

Minju let a small smile form on her face.

“Good morning.”

In the dimly lit room, Minju could see Chaewon’s smile grew a bit more to return the gesture.

“Good morning to you, too.”

Chaewon then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Minju let herself fall back down to the bed, an arm covering her eyes.

She tried to calm herself down, feeling the creeping heat on her cheeks slowly recede.

Minju got up from her bed and started getting ready, her movements slower than usual in her drowsiness.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she saw Chaewon sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee in her hand as she browsed her phone, in the same spot she first saw her days ago.

In front of her, a cup of hot chocolate was waiting for her.

She smiled at the sight.

Minju then joined Chaewon, and the two of them enjoyed their respective drinks in comfortable silence.

  
  


\---

  
  


Chaewon took Minju to the port to join the fishermen in catching fish.

Minju was unamused at first when she found out why they were there, but when they started doing work by helping with the hauling of the nets full of fish, for some reason, she found herself enjoying the hard labor.

She even got to enjoy breakfast on board, watching the sky fade from a blanket of blue and black dotted with stars to lighter hues as the sun rose up the horizon.

What made it better, she thought, was how she saw the sunrise with Chaewon.

It was an experience she will never trade for anything.

Minus the teasing from the boatmen about her having breakfast with Chaewon as a “date”.

(She almost spat her water out when she heard that. She also saw Chaewon’s ears turning a light shade of red.)

After a few more hours staying at sea, they returned to the port where boxes of the catch were loaded onto the truck to be transported to the public market. Using a large metal trolley to carry all of the boxes, Chaewon and Minju delivered them to the vendors the captain gave them a list of.

In a repeat of what happened in Seopori beach, Minju was surprised how almost all of the people at the market knew who Chaewon was, greeting her as they passed by, with Chaewon greeting back.

“How long have you been doing this?” Minju asked as they were moving from one fish vendor to the next.

“Uh…” Chaewon said, looking up at her from the list in her hand. “I think I started doing it a few days after I got here.”

Her face visibly showed more of her surprise.

“No wonder everybody knows who you are.”

Chaewon just gave her a small smile at her comment.

With every delivery they make, the owners of the establishment gave a few of their products to Chaewon as some sort of payment in kind. Chaewon explained to Minju that she has been trying to refuse them from the start, but she couldn’t win over the vendors’ insistence to repay her. So she always goes home full of fresh fish and other produce without paying for any of them.

“It’s how I’ve been living until now,” Chaewon continued to explain. “I only go out of the house to help the people out, who always seem to feed me for free or give me food, even when I tell them they don’t really need to. That’s also the reason why I still haven’t spent much money since I came here.”

Minju swore she almost felt a tear fall from the corner of her eye. She was beyond touched by the community’s kindness to someone who was otherwise still a stranger in terms of how short her stay was in their town.

“I think the people here are a national treasure that should be protected,” Minju said.

Chaewon chuckled.

“Yeah, I think so too. Though I really do think they should stop giving me free stuff, I don’t think I deserve it.”

Minju bumped her shoulder on Chaewon’s, making the older girl look over her.

“Don’t say that. If they think you deserve it, then you do.”

The young doctor just smiled at her.

  
The pair continued to deliver goods to the different stalls until the very last one. They returned to their car and drove back to the villa. 

They were about to go out again to have lunch at Feathers when Chaewon discovered that they were given a packed meal by one of the vendors from the market just enough for lunch. The two then enjoyed lunch in the villa instead after heating the meal, a can of their respective favorite soda beside them.

(Minju noticed that Chaewon’s clear Sprite contrasted her blackish Coke. It looked like the older girl still gave her loyalty to the lemon and lime drink.)

  
  


\---

  
  


“Minju, I have something to ask.”

About a week later, Chaewon dragged her to somewhere else, this time to a corn farm. This has been what their days were filled with recently; doing community work from catching fish in the sea to tilling the land, on top of volunteering at the daycare and Chaewon helping out at the health center. Minju had never been this physically tired all her life, and that was saying something since she used to do stakeouts when she was a reporter. 

It was beyond her how Chaewon can manage to do all these things without breaking a sweat most of the time.

The older girl’s lean frame was more resilient than she thought.

(Wait, why was she thinking about Chaewon’s body all of a sudden? And why was there heat on her face again? Ah, it must be the humid weather.)

But Minju found it all as rewarding work, and as the days passed, she started to look forward to where they were going and what they were going to do, as well as meeting the people of Deokjeokdo.

They were taking a rest from harvesting ripe corn in a small cottage just in front of the farm. The owner of the farm came by earlier to give them water and an assortment of fruits, vegetables, and (of course) corn for lunch. It has been a while since they finished their meal, and now Chaewon was lying down on the raised wooden floor with Minju sitting beside her cross-legged, her eyes watching the sky above as it started getting filled with gray clouds.

Minju shifted her eyes to look at the girl laid down beside her.

“What is it, unnie?”

Chaewon, with the straw hat she wore when they were cutting up the corn from their stalks on top of her face to cover it (Minju had no idea where it came from), gave out a few deep breaths before speaking,

“If…”

_ Drip. _

Minju heard a familiar sound resonating around the cottage’s roof made of nipa.

“If we didn’t meet here… Say, we met again in Seoul, will you still…”

_ Drip drop. _

A few of those low patting sounds multiplied.

“Will you still be friends with me like how we are now?”

And the rain suddenly came falling in a strong downpour.

Luckily when they were getting the corn earlier they already predicted that it would rain, so the harvest was secured already to avoid getting it wet.

Along with the rain, however, came Minju’s slight shock at what Chaewon just asked.

She didn’t know how to process it.

Should she be honest? Or should she just lie to avoid hurting Chaewon?

“I… I don’t know,” came Minju’s reply, settling on a vague and weak answer.

A pause.

The rain continued to fall in a steady rhythm, the sound of the cicadas getting drowned out. 

It was a much-needed noise to what was otherwise a deafening silence that might have made Minju lose her mind.

Chaewon spoke again, without moving from her lying position on the floor.

“You can tell me the truth, Minju. It’s okay.”

Minju moved her eyes away from Chaewon again and decided to watch the rain douse the whole farm, the leaves on each crop bobbing according to the raindrops’ beat against them.

She pursed her lips in deep thought, battling with herself if she could be as honest as she wanted to be. 

She knew if she wasn’t careful, all the hurt would spill from her again, leaving her angry and tired again.

So she treaded along her words as carefully as she could.

“I…”

Minju took a deep breath, the smell of the wet dirt getting into her lungs. A low clap of thunder was heard from the distance, just as she regained the courage to speak how she truly felt.

"I don't think I will."

A beat.

Another clap of thunder. This time a lot closer.

The temperature around them seemed to drop as soon as the words left Minju's lips.

Minju's eyes didn't leave Chaewon, watching the older girl if she made any visible reaction to her answer.

There was none.

Chaewon just continued to lie down, her chest rising up and down softly to indicate her breathing, her face still covered by her hat.

Another silence came, but this time it felt like it pierced through the sound of the rain, making its presence known to Minju, effectively making her feel anxious.

Minju’s eyes moved away from Chaewon and decided to stare out to the farm in front of them, looking at everything and nothing at the same time, just so she wouldn’t let her eyes land on the girl beside her.

She expected Chaewon to say something, anything, just so both of them could get out of the silence that enveloped them. But nothing came out from the older girl.

It felt like ages when she heard Chaewon slowly exhaled. Minju almost didn’t even catch the words she said next by how low she muttered it out.

“I see…” Chaewon said.

Minju didn’t miss the dejected tone of her voice.

What she did miss, however, was Chaewon’s attempt at keeping herself calm and from visibly deflating at what she heard.

Minju took a deep breath, readying herself for her next words.

“But…”

She gave out a brief sigh.

“But I’m glad.”

She paused for a while, letting the rain drown her words out as soon as she said it.

Chaewon’s ears didn’t fail to catch what she said.

Minju continued speaking her mind.

“I’m glad that we met again here, on this island, and not anywhere else. I don’t know if it’s the place or the people, or the circumstances that led the both of us here, but… a familiar face is always comforting to see,” Minju explained.

The young journalist leaned back with her arms behind her, tilting her head back to look at Chaewon again.

“Even if that familiar face is someone you’d rather forget.”

Chaewon stayed as still as possible, but there was no denying the stabbing pain in her heart when she heard what Minju said.

She had never been more thankful for the straw hat that was covering her face at that moment.

“That’s why I think we shouldn’t think about what would happen if we didn’t meet here. What’s more important is the present right? At least, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell myself.”

Minju kept her eye on Chaewon, specifically on the hat that covered her face.

She had the temptation to try and peek at the older girl’s face, to see what she was thinking.

But she held her hand back.

Instead, she dared to say something that has been bothering her ever since their first day at the daycare.

“Unnie.”

Chaewon didn’t say anything, but she shifted her arms from her side to lay on her stomach instead.

Minju still had her attention.

“I know both of us are going through something, and I know you told me to wait, but…”

Minju forced down a lump in her throat.

“If you could tell me what’s on your mind, just so I could help even by just a little bit, please tell me. You… you don’t have to go through this alone.”

Silence.

Silence was Chaewon’s only reply.

But Minju kept waiting for something else, anything.

Chaewon was a closed-off person, she knew this from all those years of being together, but this was different.

It was something that told Minju that whatever Chaewon had, it was eating her up inside.

Without looking away from Chaewon, Minju heard the sound of the rain slow down until it stopped completely. She slightly looked away and saw the clouds in the sky make way for the sun.

“It stopped raining.”

Minju heard Chaewon speak from beside her, coupled with the shuffling sounds of her sitting up.

She looked back and saw Chaewon, an unreadable expression on her face, putting the hat back on her head.

Without looking at Minju, Chaewon stood back up, off from the hut and onto the dirt of the farm.

“We should get back to work.”

And just like that Chaewon walked away, picking up a nearby sickle and started hacking at the corn stalks again, as if nothing had happened.

Minju watched Chaewon’s back for a long while, a mix of disappointment and hurt in her, before slowly standing up herself and started walking towards the farm.

  
  


\---

  
  


They were back at the villa that evening, after being invited to have dinner with the farmer’s family in their own house. They sent them off with a large basket of corn, to which the girls tried to decline but ultimately failed.

Minju was in the kitchen trying to put pain-relieving patches on her back after a day of bending her back down awkwardly to harvest crops. She was having trouble putting them behind her, specifically in a spot down her back, when she felt a soft tap on her shoulder.

She turned around and saw Chaewon looking at her back.

“You need help with that?” she asked.

"U-Um…" Minju murmured as she thought about the situation for a bit. 

Letting Chaewon help her meant exposing skin, which will make her very embarrassed, she thought. But at that moment Minju was too exhausted to allow herself to get embarrassed for something as simple as letting Chaewon put patches on her.

Besides, Chaewon was a doctor; surely the older girl kept her professionalism even in circumstances as mundane as this.

"Sure…" Minju said, giving Chaewon the patch on her hand and raising her shirt just enough to let the aching spot on her back exposed.

She kept her back towards Chaewon and her eyes at the front, because she knew if she caught even just a glimpse of the girl behind her she will be horribly conscious of what she was doing.

Her eyes were feeling droopy, and she was struggling to keep them open. Minju didn’t suppose that the fatigue she got from working the farm would be that bad.

She closed her eyes and just let herself feel Chaewon put the patch on her back. Minju felt the familiar cool touch of the patch slowly spreading on the spot on her back along with the feeling of Chaewon's fingertips ghosting over it, the warmth seeping through the fabric, making its way to the skin.

If she wasn’t so tired, Minju would have had to deal with a blazing face right now.

“There,” Chaewon said softly as she lifted her fingers away from the patch.

Minju put her shirt down and faced Chaewon, curving the ends of her lips upward slightly.

“Thanks.”

Chaewon smiled back. 

“No problem.”

Chaewon turned around and faced the kitchen counter to start sifting through all the produce they acquired from the farm. Minju continued to look at Chaewon’s back, particularly on the older girl’s right shoulder.

She remembered Chaewon extensively using that shoulder as she hoisted up bundles of corn many times as they worked on the farm.

Without thinking straight, Minju started moving towards Chaewon gingerly, holding up her index finger.

_ Poke. _

Minju softly poked Chaewon’s shoulder, but that was enough to make the older girl react visibly in, what Minju assumes to be, pain.

Chaewon turned around and looked at Minju questioningly.

The younger girl just looked at Chaewon with a cocked eyebrow.

“You need a patch too,” she said.

Chaewon looked away, her left hand gently massaging her right shoulder.

“Sorry,” Chaewon said. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Minju just gently shook her head and moved to grab another pain-relieving patch. 

“Come on, I’ll put it on for you.”

Chaewon just nodded silently and turned back around, unbuttoning her shirt just enough to reveal her shoulder.

As soon as Minju saw Chaewon’s exposed shoulder, her face heated up.

This was the moment her face decided to act up, it seemed.

It felt like all of Minju’s exhaustion was gone in an instant, and the only thing she could focus on was the shoulder in front of her. Five years wasn’t too long of a time ago, now that she thought of it, but had Chaewon’s shoulder always looked like that?

Maybe it was because of the lighting, and how it reflected on the clear skin of the girl in front of her, but she couldn’t help but think that it was probably the most attractive shoulder Minju had ever seen.

_ What the hell am I thinking right now… _

Minju willed herself to snap out of it.

“Uh…” Minju muttered, admittedly thinking that she sounded dumb at the moment.

“What is it?” Chaewon asked without turning back. “Is it because of the shoulder?”

Minju couldn’t believe Chaewon hit the mark immediately.

She heard the older girl give out a small chuckle.

“It’s not like you haven’t seen it before.”

Chaewon was able to voice out Minju’s thoughts exactly.

She could remember Chaewon had an affinity to off-shoulder tops and looked amazing in them every time.

But with memories of Chaewon in off-shoulder tops came the bittersweet ones.

“That was a long time ago though,” Minju said with a sad smile as she started taking the patch out of its pack.

Chaewon just hummed softly in agreement.

Minju started putting the patch on Chaewon’s shoulder as the older girl stood still, her eyes forward. She made quick work on putting it on as she didn’t want to inconvenience the older girl more.

(But she knows it was more for her sake and her flushed face rather than the girl she was putting the patch on.)

At that moment, however, Minju felt something else besides the melancholy the memories from the past brought her.

Even in doing something as simple as putting patches onto each other, to Minju it gave the impression that they were taking care of each other even in the smallest of ways. 

It brought her a little bit of comfort.

She smoothed the patch one last time with a finger before moving her hand away from Chaewon’s shoulder.

Chaewon then raised her shirt back up and fixed it, putting the buttons back on. She then turned around to face Minju and gave her a smile.

“Thanks,” she said.

“It’s nothing,” Minju replied.

They stood in front of each other awkwardly for a while, both of them not knowing what to say next.

Minju spoke up first.

“So uh, I should head up and get some rest,” she said.

Minju started walking away and was about to ascend the stairs when Chaewon called her back.

“Minju, wait.”

Minju turned around and saw Chaewon walk up to her, a hand in her back pocket. She took her hand out of her pocket and reached it over to Minju.

Minju noticed what was in Chaewon’s hand.

It was the key to the truck they used to drive around the island.

“What’s this for?” Minju asked.

“The hospital ship will arrive tomorrow morning, and I’m gonna go help them out. I’ll be gone for about a week, so…”

Chaewon took Minju’s hand and turned her palm up, placing the key on top of it.

“You’ll have to drive yourself around while I’m gone,” Chaewon said with a smile.

Minju looked back and forth at the key in her palm and Chaewon standing in front of her.

“Oh, okay,” Minju muttered out. She retracted her hand and looked at the key.

“Just do your best not to crash the car,” Chaewon said in jest.

Minju chuckled.

“I will.”

Just as she put the key in her own pocket, Minju looked back at Chaewon as she remembered something.

“Oh, then how are you getting to the port tomorrow?”

Chaewon’s eyes moved up in thought.

“I”m gonna take the bus, of course,” she answered, her eyes moving back to look at Minju.

“Let me drive you there, then,” Minju said.

Chaewon shook her head. “No, you don’t need to. You need the sleep, after all.”

Minju crossed her arms at the older girl and pouted slightly, trying to look authoritative.

“I insist.”

Chaewon just shook her head and held her hands up, giving in to Minju.

“Alright. But we leave early tomorrow though.”

“That’s fine,” Minju said, a smile growing on her lips. “You’re just gonna come and wake me up again in my room like always, right?”

It was Chaewon’s turn to chuckle.

“Right, right. I’m your personal alarm clock. Got that.”

They shared a laugh when Chaewon said that, a comfortable silence soon following after.

“I should probably head up and get to bed,” Minju said, throwing a thumb behind her to point at the stairs. “The driver should get some good sleep unless she wants to ruin a good Ford truck.”

“Are you referring to yourself or the one who’s been driving you around the whole time?” Chaewon asked as a jab.

Minju donned a look of apprehension when she heard what the other girl said. She felt her face heating up.

“I-I’m not the one who’s been dragging myself from place to place, anyway!”

Chaewon grinned at Minju’s reaction.

“I know, I know.”

Minju just blew out a breath.

“Anyway, go to bed, Minju,” Chaewon said.

Minju softened her expression and nodded. 

“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, unnie.”

“You will. Goodnight, Minju.”

Minju smiled.

“Goodnight, unnie.”

  
  


\---

  
  


Just like the day when they went fishing, they were at the port early in the morning, the sun still sleeping. It was already the start of summer, but the air before dawn was still cold that the people braving them had coats on, especially in a place by the sea.

The hospital ship was docked in the distance, groups of people already donning white coats hanging around the deck.

Chaewon had a bag with her for her week-long stay away from the island, with her rummaging through it to double-check her belongings.

She looked up at Minju once she was done just as the other girl’s mouth was open in the middle of her yawning. She smiled at the sight.

“Thanks again for driving me here,” Chaewon said.

“No problem,” Minju said, her eyes droopy again. “I’ll come fetch you by the end of the week, and we can go home together.”

_ Go home together.  _

_ Together.  _

Chaewon liked the sound of that.

But she already had other plans.

“I might be back late though, so you probably won’t have to,” she said, settling on words that evaded the truth. “But I’ll give you a heads up if I do need the lift.”

She took out her phone and put the keypad on. She then handed it out to Minju.

“Mind if I have your number? So I’d be able to tell you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Minju took Chaewon’s phone and started putting in her number. After saving her contact, she handed it back to Chaewon.

Chaewon took it back and looked at Minju’s contact, seeing what name it was saved under.

It was just a plain “Kim Minju”.

Chaewon pressed the “Edit” button and cleared the name, changing it to a single frog emoticon. She pocketed her phone after.

(Just like how she saved it when they were still dating, she remembered, but only with the absence of another emoticon.)

“I should get going,” Chaewon said. “I’ll see you in a week, Minju.”

“Be safe, unnie,” Minju said.

They waved each other goodbye, Minju watching as Chaewon went on board, the hospital ship’s crew welcoming her. She saw Minju on the docks and gave her one last wave before getting inside.

Minju turned around and started walking back to the car. She got inside and settled in the driver’s seat for a while.

The car was silent.

And she figured it was going to be quiet for the whole week now that her recent companion was away.

She felt a lonely feeling setting in.

Minju shook her head as she huffed out a breath.

She started the car and put her seatbelt on, then started driving herself home.

She welcomed the thought of having breakfast at Feathers after getting some sleep, hopefully roping Hitomi to sit down with her and chat. Probably Yuri, too.

Today was Minju’s first day without Chaewon.

  
  


\---

  
  


“...Just a heads up though, but Chaewon-unnie doesn't use her phone much when she's out with the ship. The islands they go to usually don’t have service available.”

Minju tried to hide her disappointment at what she heard.

She was at Feathers, pulling through with her plan at having her meals there. Luckily she was able to rope Hitomi into sitting down with her as she ate.

She didn't like the feeling of eating alone.

"But she still texts from time to time," Hitomi added. "Like, at really random times. I once got a text from her at 3 AM saying she missed Nako's cooking already."

Minju smiled at the thought of Chaewon up at the wee hours of the morning talking about food.

"Does this happen every month? Her island-hopping to volunteer?" she asked her friend as she took a spoonful of her fried rice.

"Yeah, it does," Hitomi answered. "Although…"

Minju took notice of the change in the other girl's expression, her seeing hesitation as Hitomi pursed her lips together.

"What is it?" Minju asked.

Hitomi shook her head, dispelling whatever she was about to say.

"It's nothing."

Hitomi then stood up and smiled at her.

"I have to get back, Minju. Those numbers in the logbook aren't gonna solve themselves."

"Oh, it's okay. Thanks for keeping me company while I eat,” Minju said apologetically.

Hitomi shook her head, her cheeks puffing up as she smiled even more.

“Don’t worry about it. I enjoyed the company too. But Minju, I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Hitomi visibly fidgeted in her spot, shifting from one foot to another as she thought of her next words.

“By the end of the week, do you mind staying up late? In the villa? Chaewon-unnie might… come back late.”

Minju straightened her back in attention at what Hitomi said.

“She actually told me the same thing! I mean, I was already planning on fetching her at the port even if she comes back late, but why? What’s up?”

“Nothing, nothing…” Hitomi dismissed Minju’s probing again. “Chaewon-unnie just likes going back to the villa with the lights on.”

Now, this was something Minju heard for the first time.

“Alright, I’ll keep that in mind,” she smiled at Minju. “Thanks for the heads up. Have fun with the paperwork, Hii.”

Hitomi sighed, her eyes rolling back.

“You don’t have to tell me,” she said as she stepped away from the table. “Enjoy your meal, Minju!” 

Hitomi gave Minju a wave as she went back inside the back office, leaving Minju with her own thoughts.

She thought about Hitomi’s words about Chaewon, and how she had an inkling feeling that the girl knows more than what she was letting on.

Why was everyone on this island so mysterious, especially about the young doctor who does a little bit of everything?

Minju decided she will think about it for another time, stuffing another spoonful of fried rice into her mouth.

  
  


\---

  
  


It was the third day without Chaewon.

Not that Minju was counting (she was), but she found the days without Chaewon a bit too quiet. She still showed up to the daycare to play with the children and helped out at the public market, but other than that she still felt off when the familiar figure of the young doctor wasn’t with her.

(Did she miss her? Maybe. Minju wouldn’t admit this to herself even if she was already six feet under.)

She visited the peak again, but this time she climbed the whole mountain by herself. The scenery was the same; it was still beautiful to see the ocean surrounding all the nearby islands, with Incheon’s skyline in the distance, but for some reason, she didn’t feel the same way she did the first time she saw it.

She also went back to Seopori beach, sitting down at the beach and just watching the waves. She still had a good time, but there was a nagging thought that experiencing all these beautiful places was still better with some familiar company.

Her thoughts went to Chaewon, still visiting different islands with the hospital ship, providing healthcare to places that otherwise didn’t have immediate access to it.

She wondered if she was doing well.

Hitomi was right about Chaewon barely texting. She never received a single text from the doctor even when she gave her her number the day she left. Minju used to check her phone almost at every hour to see if she received at least a single letter from her.

No such luck was found.

_ Ding. _

All of a sudden Minju felt the phone in her pocket vibrate.

She took it out and saw the screen lit up with a new notification: a message from an unknown number.

She unlocked her phone and viewed what she received.

_ From: 010-xxx-xxxx _

_ They make seafood kimchi stew differently here _

Minju couldn’t believe how fast the smile grew on her lips.

She already knew who it came from.

She decided to save the number to her contacts before replying.

_ To: Chaewon-unnie _

_ Oh yeah? How? _

She locked her phone after replying and kept it in her hand, expecting an answer back.

She felt her phone vibrate again.

_ From: Chaewon-unnie _

_ They put octopus in it lol _

Minju chuckled at what she read, imagining a confused Chaewon seeing octopus in her kimchi stew.

She keyed in her response, the smile never disappearing from her face.

_ To: Chaewon-unnie _

_ Think you can bring some home? I wanna taste it too _

_ From: Chaewon-unnie _

_ Sure. Gotta go now _

_ To: Chaewon-unnie _

_ Alright. Take care _

_ From: Chaewon-unnie _

_ You too _

Minju smiled at the last message she got from the older girl before putting her phone back into her pocket.

She feels like the loneliness from the days she spent alone was gone for a little bit.

(It was stupid, she thinks, how a short text message had that much of an effect on her already.)

She stood up and dusted herself off of the stray sand clinging onto her jeans. She started walking back to the car, already thinking of having dinner at the villa with whatever she could find in the fridge with a movie on.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju was spending another day alone, and it was well into the week of Chaewon's absence now. She was sitting outside the convenience store she went to the day she arrived in Deokjeokdo. The cashier was the same person that day too, and when she saw Minju step inside the store she already gave her a weird look.

“I’m not going to drink today,” Minju said, handing her a lunchbox and some cola.

The cashier kept quiet.

She went back to her seat and watched whatever was happening at the port: ships loading and unloading passengers from the mainland, the coast guard manning their patrol boats, and some children playing by the water. Some people who recognized her gave her a wave of their hand, and she greeted them the same way.

She was in the middle of her meal, taking a sip of her cola, when someone in the distance caught her eye.

Specifically someone who just stepped off the ferry ship that was currently unloading passengers.

Someone who was too familiar for Minju to not take notice.

She watched intently as the person, dressed in a simple shirt and jeans topped with a rather flashy bucket hat, dragged a small suitcase as she went farther from the ship and towards the nearby bus station.

Half-way through their walk, the stranger took off their bucket hat, giving Minju a better view of their face.

That was the moment Minju's jaw dropped to the floor, her chopsticks almost following after.

She stood up from her seat and dashed towards the person in record time, intercepting the person by blocking their path in front of them, a hand on their shoulder.

Minju's eyes widened even more when she confronted the person in front of her, disbelief evident on her face as her suspicions were proven true.

"Yena-unnie?!"

The woman in question mirrored her exact expression on her own face.

"M-Minju-yah…"

  
  


\---

  
  


"Please tell me what the hell is going on…"

Minju brought Yena to an outdoor table at Feathers, just in time for her to have lunch (she didn’t forget to bring the meal she was having at the convenience store). Hitomi was serving them for that day, explaining how she had to help out for the lunchtime rush upon Minju’s questioning.

The Japanese girl didn’t miss the tension between Minju and the unfamiliar woman in front of her, the former wearing an expression that seemed displeased with whatever situation they found themselves in.

So she just took their orders and left them as soon as she could, deciding not to ask questions.

Yena was looking at anything and everything  _ besides _ Minju, who she could tell was fuming. Her head was bent low, avoiding eye contact with the younger girl.

Minju’s temper was rising the longer her older friend kept her silence.

“Yena-unnie.”

Yena heaved a deep sigh out of her lungs and willed herself to finally face Minju head-on.

“If I tell you, will you promise not to be mad?” she asked gingerly.

It was Minju’s turn to sigh as she closed her eyes and calmed herself down.

She opened her eyes again, her former glare replaced by a gentle gaze towards Yena.

“I promise.”

Yena gave out another sigh as she clasped her hands together on the table and fixed her gaze on them. She was deep in thought, contemplating how to tell Minju what she had to say.

“I…”

She gulped, hoping Minju would stay patient with her.

To Yena, Minju was a saint; of all the years she knew the younger girl she never once saw her angry. At least, anger that was not directed at her. Even so, she knew that all people had their limits, and she wasn’t about to push Minju’s, despite the girl’s endless patience with her.

Now, she feels like she was about to lose her life experiencing Minju’s wrath for the first time.

She braced herself for it.

She closed her eyes and spoke what she needed to in one breath.

“I quit the company.”

A pause.

Only the sound of music mixed in with the chatter coming from the other patrons of the bistro, as well as the distant waves was heard.

“...What?”

Minju asked, muttering beneath her breath.

Yena repeated her answer, this time louder as she raised her head to meet Minju’s eyes.

“I quit the company, Minju.”

Another pause.

Minju just looked at Yena in disbelief, her thought processes slowing as she was caught off-guard by Yena’s answer.

“W-Why? Did you get exposed too? Did they find out you were part of the operation?”

Yena shook her head.

“No no, none of that happened. I wasn’t sacked, Minju. I quit on my own.”

Minju grew more confused by the second, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead.

“Why…?”

Yena looked away again, her eyes towards the beach nearby.

“I didn’t want to be part of that shithole anymore, Minju. Not after what they did to you. I don’t think I’d be able to forgive myself if I kept working there knowing that you’re out here, suffering for doing the right thing. I can’t do that to you.”

“But you need the job, unnie,” Minju countered. “You shouldn’t have thought about what happened to me. What matters is what you can get while staying in that company.”

It was Yena’s turn to look displeased. She could not believe what she was hearing from the other girl.

“Do you actually think I can do that to you, Minju? After everything we’ve been through? What kind of friend do you think I am?”

Minju just sighed at Yena’s answer, her worried look not dissipating.

“I know, unnie. You’re the best friend I could ever ask for, that’s why I don’t want you to do reckless things because of me…”

She gave out another sigh.

“...But I guess there’s nothing I can do to change your mind, right?”

Yena relaxed her irked expression, the thin hard line on her mouth melting into her signature pout that showcased her lips.

When Yena puts on that face, Minju knew the older girl was being stubborn, and there was nothing she could say or do that could change her mind.

“Nope,” she told the younger girl, slightly shaking her head.

Minju nodded at Yena’s answer, noting the finality in her tone.

She reached over to her side of the table and held one of Yena’s hands.

“Thank you, unnie,” she said, her eyes full of sincerity. “I don’t think I can tell you this enough, but thank you.”

Yena clicked her tongue, but moved her other hand to cover Minju’s, holding it with both of her hands.

“Don’t mention it. I’ll go through everything again with you in a heartbeat if I have to.”

Minju felt a tear trickle down her cheek when she heard Yena’s words. She moved her other hand to wipe it away.

“So,” Minju started without taking her hand back from Yena. “What are you planning to do now?”

“Hm,” Yena said, leaning back into the chair. “I don’t know yet. I planned this to be just a short vacation before I start looking for another job, but…”

“But?” Minju prompted.

Yena leaned her head back and looked up at the overhang of the bistro’s roof in thought. She blinked a few times before answering, her friend waiting patiently for it.

“I think I’m gonna be staying here for a while,” she said.

“Why?” Minju asked.

Yena moved her head back to look at Minju, a smile on her lips.

“I’ve decided this is the place where I’m gonna realize my dream.”

Minju’s eyebrows met each other in the middle of her forehead as she looked at Yena in confusion.

“Your dream? You mean…?”

Yena nodded at her enthusiastically.

“Yeah! This is where I’m gonna make my first film,” Yena said.

Minju’s lips formed an “o” shape as she understood what Yena was saying.

“Oh, so that’s what you meant. You  _ did _ say that your job as a camerawoman for the news station was just something to build up experience for your dream as a filmmaker,” she said.

Yena nodded again.

“Yep. And now that I’ve gotten enough experience, I think it’s time to take the next step, which is to finally write the screenplay for my debut film.”

“But it’s gonna be hard though,” Minju said. “Do you have an idea on what the film’s gonna be about?”

“Hm,” Yena pondered as she moved her eyes to look at the beach again. “I have a vague idea, but I still don’t know what it’s gonna be about at this point. It’s gonna be a lengthy process, that I’m sure of.”

She looked back at Minju, who was starting to form another face of worry, and grinned.

“But no worries. I get the feeling that this island and everything it has to offer will help me write the best script ever, one that nobody has ever thought of yet. I just gotta let it run its course.”

Minju looked at Yena in mild surprise by how wise the older girl sounded just now.

“You know, unnie,” she said. “For someone who looks like they’re clueless most of the time, you sure do say the wisest things.”

Yena scoffed.

“Hey, is that supposed to be a compliment?”

Minju laughed, the kind that only Yena can elicit.

“If you want it to be, I guess?” Minju joked back.

Yena reverted back to her earlier pout, this time coupled with a playful sneer.

“I’m just kidding, unnie,” Minju said. 

She held Yena’s hand tighter and smiled at her.

“I’m sure you’re gonna make the best film Korea had ever seen. I’m gonna be right behind you all the way.”

Yena nodded at her in gratitude.

“Thank you, Minju. I appreciate it a lot.”

Minju’s smile reshaped into a smirk.

“You look like you’re gonna cry, unnie.”

Yena scoffed.

“I do not!”

Minju laughed at Yena’s reaction, with the older girl following after.

“Anyway, tell me how you’ve been doing,” Yena asked her.

“Well, for starters, I got drunk as soon as I got here…”

Minju then began to recount her days staying in the island so far, Yena reacting accordingly by either flinging curses at her by how dumb she found Minju’s recklessness, or by cooing at the good deeds the people of Deokjeokdo had done for her. 

What she didn’t mention, however, was how she met her ex-girlfriend again and how she was the one who accompanied her all throughout her experiences in Deokjeokdo.

Somewhere along their conversation, Hitomi arrived with their food, and Minju took the opportunity to introduce Yena to her. Yena was a naturally friendly person, so it didn’t surprise her how accommodating she was to Hitomi’s rather shy nature.

After lunch, Yena said she wanted to settle down in her accommodation to rest for a while, before having dinner with Minju. Yena turned out to be staying at the inn that Minju was supposed to stay in during the first day. She drove Yena to the inn and bid her farewell, promising to see each other in the evening.

She drove back to the villa, in a light mood for being reunited with her friend. During the drive, her thoughts wandered from her time with Yena to Chaewon, who was still away.

She wondered if she was doing well.

When she arrived, Minju glanced at her phone, slightly hoping for a newly-received message.

There was none.

She pocketed it again and went up to her room, resting until the evening came.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Wow, this place is pretty packed tonight.”

Minju heard Yena voiced out once they entered Feathers.

It was a weekend night, and just like any other times when the bistro had its weekly happy hours, the place was filled with people of different ages, whether local or foreign.

Hitomi already reserved a table for the two of them, even at Minju’s declining. When she asked the girl why she always had a table reserved for either her or Chaewon, she just winked at her after saying something cheekily.

“You guys are special guests, and special guests always have tables reserved for them.”

Before Minju could ask anything further, the other girl just quickly retreated back to the kitchen after telling them someone will come and serve them.

They sat down on the table, and Yena noticed a stage in front of them with a band setting up.

“They hold live performances here, too?” she asked.

“Oh?” Minju said looked up from the menu. “Yeah, they do, especially tonight because the bistro’s main act is on. Half of the people here right now always come during weekend nights partly because they wanna watch her.”

“Must be a great singer if she can rack up a crowd like this,” Yena commented as she looked around, noting how the bistro was packed, with even the outdoor tables occupied.

A waiter later came by their table and took their orders, and afterwards the two girls fell into small conversation as they waited for their food to arrive. When it did, they immediately dug in, Yena having her eyes wide as soon her tongue touched the food in her mouth.

“Wow, this is really good!”

Minju smiled at Yena, taking a bite from her own meal.

“You should meet the chef, she’s really amazing.”

“Do I even have that kind of privilege?”

“I’ll introduce you to her later if she’s not busy then.”

Just as Yena threw a thumbs up to Minju while she continued on eating, the lights around the bistro dimmed as the ones on the stage shone brighter, a spotlight shining on the microphone stand in the middle of the stage.

The two women then turned their attention to what was happening on stage, and that was when they saw the bistro’s popular chanteuse come up to the mic.

Yuri cleared her throat to check if the mic was on, then proceeded to greet the crowd.

“Good evening, everyone! Thank you for coming to tonight’s show, I’m Jo Yuri and I’m gonna be singing you a few songs as you enjoy your meals,” she said.

The crowd then gave her an applause, some of them even whistling.

She then glanced at the band behind her and nodded, the drummer counting down with three beats of his sticks.

And then the music played, beginning with a few notes from the piano, followed by the sound of Yuri’s singing as she sang the first line of the song.

_ “A pleasant walk, a black moustache; where are you busily headed, what are you up to?” _

Minju started bobbing her head to the beat of the song, recognizing it as one of her favorite songs. She started to hum along to Yuri’s singing, a smile growing on her face as she watched the songstress enchant the crowd with her beautiful voice.

“I will never get tired of Yuri singing,” she said, her mood getting lifted up by Yuri’s infectious smile. “Well, what do you think of her, Yena-unnie?”

She turned to face Yena, and was pleasantly surprised to see the expression on the older girl’s face.

“Yena… unnie?”

Yena didn’t hear her.

Because her eyes were solely in front, on the girl singing her heart out on stage at that moment. Her whole attention was on nothing but her.

Yena was completely mesmerized by Yuri, starting from the moment she laid eyes on her. Then she started speaking, and Yena felt her heart ache a little bit without her knowing why, but then she started actually  _ singing _ , and Yena felt the muscle in her chest burst into different pieces, transforming into butterflies in her stomach.

Wild,  _ wild _ butterflies.

Yena knew what she was feeling; she wasn’t born yesterday. She had relationships before so she wasn’t a stranger to what it was, but at the same time what was holding her heart captive was different. It was bigger, deeper, more intense; it consumed every fiber of her being, and made her question all those past relationships, if what she felt in them were real in the first place.

But it didn’t matter now. The only thing that was important was Yuri, and what her heart was telling her as she was seeing only Yuri.

Yena was honest to everyone, but most especially to herself.

And so it was easy to admit to herself what she was feeling, and who the object of these feelings were.

Yena had fallen in love at first sight with Yuri.

Meanwhile, Minju just smiled knowingly at her friend across her.

“Yena-unnie,” she called out softly, breaking Yena out of her trance as she watched Yuri.

“H-Huh? Yeah?”

“Do you wanna meet Yuri after dinner?” Minju offered.

Yena’s eyes widened, glistening with something other than the differently colored lights around the bistro.

“Really? We can meet her?”

Minju nodded.

“Of course! But we gotta catch her after her set, though.”

Yena reached over and took hold of Minju’s hand, wearing an expression that looked like she was about to spill tears. She wasn’t even able to talk anymore, wearing a pout to keep her tears from falling.

Minju just nodded, her smile not fading.

“I know I know, you love me. Let’s continue eating while we enjoy her performance, alright?”

Yena just nodded and moved back to stuff her face with food, continuing to watch Yuri with passion in her eyes.

They did meet Yuri after dinner, along with Hitomi and Nako. The moment Yena held Yuri’s hand for a handshake, she felt like combusting, especially when the younger girl held her gaze and smiled. This didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of the girls, each of them donning smirks.

On the way back to the inn, Yena told Minju she wasn’t going to wash her hand anymore. Minju only shook her head at her.

  
  


\---

  
  


The following day, Minju took Yena out to see the island. They went up to the peak to see the whole island at a high vantage point, and Minju was amused by how animated Yena’s reaction was as soon as they reached the red pavilion.

“Woooaaah!”

Yena exclaimed as she almost broke into a run going to the rails of the pavilion, her whole mouth in the shape of a ring. Minju was smiling as she walked up next to her.

“This is the best view I have ever seen in my life! This easily beats the view on Namsan Tower, Minju-yah!”

Minju grinned at Yena’s excited state. Due to the nature of their previous jobs, she could only see this side of Yena a few times, even if the older girl usually had a cheery temperament. Her joy was always infectious, and Minju could feel herself becoming happy as well.

“I thought of the same thing,” Minju said, nodding in agreement. “Maybe because you get tired of seeing a sea of buildings instead of the actual sea.”

“That’s true,” Yena said. “Our company building has a view of that concrete sea, too.”

“ _ Ex _ -company,” Minju corrected.

“Yeah, ex-company that’s way too fucked up for the both of us,” Yena said in distaste.

Minju just chuckled at her comment.

“Anyway, you see that skyline over there?” she said, pointing a finger to the distance. “That’s Incheon.”

As if on cue, Yena’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing the revelation.

“Really?” she said, eyes peering to see the skyline far away. “Oh wow, you’re right! I didn’t know Incheon was actually that near. The island feels like it’s far away from the mainland.”

Minju laughed in surprise, thinking of how Yena’s words resonated with her thoughts the moment she first came up to the peak and saw the view.

“I can’t believe you’re thinking of the same things I did the first time I went here,” she mused.

“I think every single person is gonna think the same way on their first time here anyway,” Yena said.

“Good point,” Minju said.

“Anyway,” Yena said as she stepped away from the fence. “I have something to ask, Minju.”

Minju turned her face to look at Yena just as the older girl turned towards her.

“I noticed some of the people waving at you, greeting you even, on the way here. How did they come to know you if you’ve only been here for a week at most?”

“U-Uh…”

Minju was at a loss for words.

This was one of the rare times Minju found Yena’s observant nature an inconvenience.

Yena still didn’t know about Chaewon and how she was the reason why she met almost all of the people in Deokjeokdo in such a short time. She was avoiding talking about the doctor because if she did, she will inevitably talk about their shared past as well.

But she didn’t have a choice now. She also thought it was useless to run away from Yena because she knew the topic was going to bring itself up anytime, now that she was on the island with her.

She sighed.

“Come sit with me, unnie,” she said, already walking towards one of the benches inside the pavilion, Yena following suit.

When both of them were comfortably seated, Minju took a deep breath to ready herself.

“Remember when you asked me if I ever dated before?” she asked.

“When we were out drinking after a stake-out? Yeah, I do,” Yena answered.

“And do you remember what I told you?” Minju prompted again.

“Hm,” Yena hummed in thought. “You said you didn’t.”

“Yeah…” 

Minju sighed, looking down at her hands on her lap.

“I wasn’t exactly being truthful back then,” she finally answered.

A pause came, with neither of the two women speaking.

“I figured as much,” came Yena’s reply, her eyes not moving away from the view of the sea below them. “I didn’t wanna push since you looked uncomfortable when I asked, so I just left it at that.”

“And I’m grateful,” Minju said. “But I guess you have the right to know.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, you know.”

Minju shook her head. “No, I think I need to. Besides, I feel like I’d go crazy if I don’t talk about this to anyone.”

“Hm…” Yena hummed, nodding. “Okay, go ahead.”

“Uh… I used to date this girl,” Minju started, recounting the events of years past.

She barely started talking about it when she could already feel the dull pain in her chest come back; the very pain she felt every time she was with Chaewon, and every time she remembered the time she used to spend with her.

But she had to will herself to continue talking about it, because she knew this was the only way to somehow relieve herself of the pain.

And so she told Yena everything; from when they first started dating, everything they used to do, until the abrupt end of their relationship. How she felt she was treated unjustly by Chaewon, her parents, fate, whoever or whatever was the reason behind her misery.

By the time she finished talking about her past, Minju was barely keeping her tears from falling.

“...Then I met her again here, on this island, after five years,” she said.

Yena just kept quiet the whole time, listening.

“I wanted to be angry at her, slap her, kick her, punch her in the face and throw everything I can at her, because the pain from everything from before is still here,” Minju continued, a hand patting the part of her chest where her heart was.

“But when I spent time with her again, doing all sorts of things around the island, I just felt… happy.”

Minju exhaled, trying to relieve herself of the pain inside her.

“I felt happy being with her even when I shouldn’t be,” she said. “I know I should resent her because whatever happened between us isn’t resolved yet, but I… I can’t help it, unnie.”

Yena silently nodded, moving an arm to wrap around Minju so she could comfort her.

“Then I see her eyes, and I remember how they looked like when we were still together,” Minju recounts her memories of happier times. “I know this is gonna sound cheesy, but I could always see the stars in them.”

Yena snickered beside her.

“That  _ is _ pretty cheesy,” she said.

“Shut up,” Minju said in jest, elbowing her friend softly. “But you know what I mean. When someone is full of life, their eyes  _ shine _ . Her eyes shone brightly before, especially when…”

Minju couldn’t help but chuckle dryly at the memory now.

“...Especially when they look at me.”

She took a shaky breath, closing her eyes as she steadied herself.

The pain in her chest was pulsating with a strength that affected her whole body. 

“But when I see them now, they just look… dead.”

Minju choked on her words, using all of her strength to keep herself from crying.

“Her eyes are dead, unnie.”

Yena turned her head to look at Minju, and she felt a piece of her own heart break off when she saw how devastated her friend was.

“She… She doesn’t want anybody to notice, but the whole island knows,” Minju spoke again. “Even when she’s going around doing all these things, helping people out with a smile on her face, you could see how she looks empty inside.”

The hand on Minju’s lap curled into a fist, shaking as she continued talking.

“I’ve tried so many times to make her open up, to let her know that it’s okay, but… she would always avoid talking about it.”

Minju heaved out another sigh, hoping that along with it came the hurt.

“She told me to wait,” she said. “And I’m more than willing to give her all the time she needs, but we both know that if it gets too long it’ll only get worse.”

Minju closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down.

Yena started rubbing her hand along Minju’s arm to comfort the girl more, trying to gather her thoughts to form what she was going to say.

“I don’t really know much about this, Minju, but if we’re gonna go by what you said then… I think me and this ex of yours are alike,” she said.

Minju slowly shifted her eyes to look at Yena beside her.

The older girl continued.

“It sounds like she doesn’t want to show how she really feels because maybe she doesn’t want to inconvenience anyone… I do the same thing, actually. I’m known to have a pretty positive outlook on life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have problems too. I just tend not to show people that I go through these things, because I don’t want them to think of me differently.”

Yena pulled in Minju closer, the hand on the younger’s arm still doing movements.

“Maybe this ex is the same as I am, who knows. And maybe that’s also the reason why she broke up with you in the first place. But there’s nothing you can really do about it right now Minju, except to wait for her to say her piece. If she’s not an asshole who told you to wait when she doesn’t really have plans to tell you, then I’m sure she will open up soon.”

The older girl turned to look at Minju, a smile on her face.

“It’s gonna be alright, Minju. For both you and your friend.”

Minju sighed again, turning to look at the view of the ocean merging with the sky in front of them.

“I hope so too, unnie.”

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju and Yena found Feathers closed that evening, with Minju noting it as something that doesn’t occur normally, so the two of them opted to find somewhere to eat along the line of local restaurants nearby. Surprisingly, they found a small eatery that sold naengmyeon, something they didn’t expect to be found in Deokjeokdo, of all places.

After dinner, Yena was sent home by Minju, telling her to come hang out with her again the next day. Minju agreed and bade her a good night, driving back to the villa afterwards.

She was in the living room watching whatever was on the television at that hour of the night, using it to pass the time.

Minju glanced at the clock above the television, taking note of the time.

It was the end of the week, and Chaewon was supposed to come back home tonight. Keeping to her word, she was waiting for the older girl to arrive; she was glancing at her phone every now and then, waiting for Chaewon’s message to come pick her up. 

A few hours passed, and no such message arrived. Minju figured maybe Chaewon thought she was already asleep at this hour, and not wanting to bother her, she opted to ride the bus back to the villa. So she waited, keeping the lights on in case Chaewon arrived.

Another couple of hours passed, and there was still no sign of the young doctor arriving.

Minju was about to fall asleep on the couch, the television still on. She took another look at the clock and read the time: it was half-past three in the morning already.

The villa was silent, despite the sound from the television as well as the crickets hidden in the surrounding flora of the villa.

It was the kind of silence that unnerved Minju. 

She was getting restless by the second, as if her gut was telling her something was going to happen. She doesn’t know what exactly will happen, however.

The only thing she could do was to wait.

She decided to give herself another hour, and if Chaewon did not show up, she would head to bed. She was going to see her in the morning anyway, so she might as well sleep as soon as possible.

Minju was watching a rerun from an old drama she used to watch as a teenager when the doorbell suddenly rang. Thinking that it might finally be Chaewon, she almost jumped out of her seat on the couch and rushed to open the front door, not even bothering to look through the peephole. 

As soon as she opened the door, shock painted itself on Minju’s face because of the sight that greeted her.

“Chaewon-unnie?!”


	8. chapter iv

_ It was another day for everyone at Jungshin High School, with the same routine for the students to either listen attentively in class or zone out and let their minds fly away from monotonous teachers while waiting for the bell to ring. When it did, students from all year levels started getting up from their chairs to relieve themselves from sitting down and staying still for a chain of hours, allowing themselves a short reprieve from the grueling time they spent within the four-walled space they were sick and tired of. Soon after, they would start grouping themselves in their respective cliques, heading out to the cafeteria to get their meals together. _

_ Winter was approaching, so almost everyone in the school moved a little bit slower, a little bit hesitant to exert energy as the weather was getting notably colder, their faces hidden in scarves and hands buried in the pockets of thick sweaters as if their skin was permanently stuck to the pieces of clothing. _

_ “Minju come on, let’s go get lunch!” _

_ Minju closed her notebook after writing a few more annotations by the side of the pages and tucked it into her bag, turning her face to her friend at the call of her name. _

_ “Coming!” _

_ She stood up from her seat and began walking towards her group of friends, who were already by the doorway. _

_ “It’s so cold! Is the radiator in this school even working?!” _

_ One of her friends exclaimed, the rest of them laughing at her annoyance.  _

_ “We pay so much for this school and they couldn’t even bother fixing the radiator,” another commented, earning herself another laugh. _

_ They were walking towards the cafeteria when Minju suddenly felt her hand get tugged back, her whole body turning halfway. _

_ At first, she was surprised by the sudden pull her on her hand, but when she saw who it was, her surprise melted into a soft smile. _

_ “Minju.” _

_ It was Chaewon, her own smile mirroring Minju’s. _

_ “Unnie,” she answered back. _

_ Minju’s friends noticed the presence of the upperclassman and immediately greeted her. _

_ “Hi, Chaewon-sunbaenim!” they said with a bow of their heads. _

_ Chaewon returned the gesture. “Hi. Can I borrow Minju for a second?” _

_ “Sure! You can borrow her forever,” a friend piped up, the rest snickering as Minju huffed, the heat rising slowly to her face. _

_ “Shut up,” Minju chastised her playful friends. _

_ She turned back to Chaewon, holding her hand a little tighter. _

_ “What is it, unnie?” _

_ “Uh, I just wanted to ask,” Chaewon began, looking away as the blush crept up to dust her cheeks as well. Her hand didn’t move from Minju’s however. “Are you free after school?” _

_ Minju’s eyes lit up in interest at Chaewon’s query. _

_ “Hm, besides club? I guess I am,” she answered. _

_ Chaewon’s smile grew wider. _

_ “Oh, you can skip club for today, I already asked the other Chaewon to let me take you out,” she said. _

_ Minju’s eyes widened in surprise. _

_ “When did you do that?” _

_ Chaewon just shrugged. _

_ Minju just continued to look at her suspiciously. _

_ “Anyway,” Chaewon said dismissively. “I’ll meet you in front of your classroom, and we can leave school together. Would that be alright?” _

_ “Of course,” Minju smiled. _

_ “Alright,” Chaewon finalized, her hand giving Minju’s a squeeze. “I’ll see you after school?” _

_ “Sure,” Minju nodded, her own hand returning the squeeze. _

_ Chaewon let go of Minju’s hand a bit reluctantly, and finally walked away but not without a wave of a hand. _

_ Minju turned back to her friends who watched the whole conversation, playful smirks on their faces. _

_ “Must be nice to date the vice president huh?” one of the girls teased. _

_ “I almost didn’t recognize Kim Chaewon by how soft she looked at you,” another one jabbed. _

_ Minju just rolled her eyes at them, giving out a sigh. _

_ Her face, despite the cold, was heating up at her friends’ teasing. _

_ “Aren’t we hungry? Let’s just go!” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Where are we going, unnie?” _

_ “To my favorite tteokbokki place. We’re meeting someone there.” _

_ Chaewon and Minju left school together and were now on a bus ride towards their destination. Their hands were clasped the moment they met again by Minju’s classroom and stayed like that until now. It beat any heat pack that they needed to warm their hands. _

_ “Who are we meeting?” Minju asked. _

_ Chaewon just looked at her and smiled. _

_ “You’ll see.” _

_ Minju pouted at Chaewon’s evasive answer. _

_ “Come on, who is it?” she pushed, bumping Chaewon’s shoulder with her own.  _

_ She then suddenly gasped, Chaewon looking at her questioningly. _

_ “Don’t tell me…” _

_ Chaewon raised an eyebrow at her. _

_ “I-Is it your parents?” Minju said nervously. _

_ Chaewon just looked at her with wide eyes for a beat, before breaking out into a laugh. _

_ Minju just looked at her more confused than she already was. _

_ Chaewon reached out with her other hand and squeezed Minju’s cheek playfully. _

_ “Aigoo, Kim Minju, aren’t you so cute?” she said, her laughs continuing to pour out from her mouth. _

_ Minju just swatted her hand away, a pout on her lips. _

_ “So? Are we gonna meet your parents?” she asked, the feeling of nervousness slowly creeping in. _

_ “No no, not my parents,” Chaewon said by the end of her fit of laughter. “I mean, I  _ am _ going to introduce you to them soon, but not today.” _

_ Minju blushed when she heard what Chaewon said last. She buried her head into Chaewon's shoulder, hoping that the older girl wouldn't feel the heat from her face through her thick clothes. _

_ Chaewon held Minju’s hand tighter and started rubbing circles on it with her thumb, her smile growing in affection towards the other girl as she leaned her cheek on the top of her head. _

_ “We’ll get there, don’t worry,” she said in reassurance. _

_ Minju nodded in understanding, still against Chaewon's shoulder, breathing a sigh of relief. She then smiled into Chaewon’s clothes not minding the fact that the older girl couldn’t see her, her eyes closing in comfort. _

_ Chaewon and Minju have been going out for a few months now, going on dates regularly when their schedules allowed them. After Chaewon confessed and she said yes, it only took a few days for the whole school to learn of their relationship, and everyone started dubbing them as the school’s “power couple”. At first, they were afraid of having to hide their relationship but when they saw everyone’s approval and support, they were relieved that they didn’t have to. There were still people who shook their heads disapprovingly (especially a certain student council president), but they were a few that the pair paid no mind. _

_ What surprised the two was when they told their respective parents that they were seeing each other, they were supportive as well. _

_ “Just as long as you don’t let her distract you from your studying,” Minju’s mother told her. _

_ Now they were enjoying each other’s company and the comfort that it brings, as well as the occasional butterflies when one of them does something particularly heart-fluttering. During their time of dating, they also got to know each other well, but Minju felt especially spoiled by how much she indulged in seeing a side of Kim Chaewon that nobody else sees. _

_ Contrary to how Chaewon usually presents herself in public, which formed the image the school sees her as, the supposed cold student council vice president was actually a playful girl who likes to tease a lot. _

_ On several occasions, when it was just the two of them, Chaewon always played pranks on Minju and gave her a barrage of teasing, much to her demise. The older girl particularly liked pinching her cheeks and her nose, poking vulnerable parts of her body that she knew were her tickle spots. Minju would always have to swat those invasive hands away, all the while hearing Chaewon's laughter in the background. _

_ Minju also noted the little height difference that they have. To get back at the older girl, she always points out how she was taller with a smug face, which just makes Chaewon retaliate by hooking an arm around her neck to bring her face down to her level and squeeze her cheeks inwards with the other hand, making Minju look like a fish. _

_ Sometimes she regrets trying to pick a fight with the older girl only to end up in a headlock, but most of the time she doesn't, especially when Chaewon sticks her cheek to her own when teasing. _

_ Meanwhile in other times, Chaewon shows her affectionate side to Minju. She would always ask where she was and come get her from wherever just so she could spend time with her, if both of their times allowed them. Chaewon also always wants to stick close to Minju whenever they were seated beside each other, an arm wrapped either around her waist or her arm. Minju never pegged Chaewon to be the clingy type, but she welcomed it nonetheless. _

_ She recounts something that just happened a few days back. The two of them were busy the whole month because of the upcoming events both the student council and the school paper had to organize for the holiday celebrations, so their respective organizations had to stay inside their clubrooms until the school’s closing time. _

_ One night, when it was just Minju left inside the school paper’s office editing her articles as her colleagues have either gone home or some place else, she heard a knock from the office’s door. Thinking it was just one of the school guards patrolling and to nag her to finish up and go home, she spoke up from her desk without lifting her eyes from her laptop. _

_ “Come in,” she said. _

_ Still concentrating on her work, she heard the door open and close, footsteps light on the floor and nearing her. _

_ Her fingers only stopped moving across the keyboard when she felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her shoulders loosely, a familiar weight lean into her with a welcomed heat, and a familiar scent of mint wafting into her nose that immediately brought her comfort. _

_ “What are you doing, still working this late?” she heard a sleepy voice say, the words directly into her right ear. _

_ Without turning back to see who it was (because she already knew who it was), Minju smiled from ear to ear. _

_ “Trying to make it to deadlines,” she said. She gestured a hand to her laptop’s screen in front of them. “You can see for yourself if you’d like, Chaewon-unnie.” _

_ She felt Chaewon’s head move to align her line of sight with Minju’s, a soft cheek stuck to hers. Half of Minju’s peripheral view was now obstructed with wafts of brown hair. _

_ “Hmm, a Christmas feature huh,” Chaewon said as she started rubbing her cheek against Minju’s own in affection. “Can’t wait to read it.” _

_ This was Minju’s cue to grin fully, turning around to see Chaewon’s sleepy face, her eyelids drooping. _

_ “Did you just wake up from a nap?” she asked the older girl. _

_ Without moving away, Chaewon nodded slowly. _

_ “Yeah, I just finished a huge amount of paperwork the president dumped on me so I took a nap. When I woke up, I didn’t realize it was this late already,” Chaewon said as she leaned her forehead on Minju’s shoulder. _

_ Minju brought a hand up to caress the back of Chaewon’s head for comfort, doing what she can to help alleviate her tiredness. _

_ “There, there,” she said. “I’ll start packing up so we can go home together. Sounds good?” _

_ Chaewon moved her head up from Minju’s shoulder and looked at the younger girl from the side of her eye. Without saying anything, she then slowly stood back up, her hands moving to grab Minju’s arms as she pulled her up with her. _

_ As they both stood to their full heights face-to-face, Chaewon just looked at Minju’s eyes for a while, her hands still on the younger’s upper arms. She then slowly moved them down to Minju’s waist and pulled the younger girl closer for a hug, her arms encircling Minju’s waist. Chaewon then placed her head on Minju’s shoulder and slowly breathed out a sigh. _

_ “Unnie…?” Minju asked tentatively in a small voice, so as not to disturb Chaewon’s calmed pose against her. _

_ “Let’s just stay like this for a few more minutes,” Chaewon said, slowly closing her eyes. _

_ Minju smiled, her own arms moving up to wrap tight around Chaewon’s shoulders. She then leaned her own head on the older girl’s shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing in Chaewon’s unique scent of mint perfume and of something else she couldn’t quite place. _

_ “Okay,” Minju answered her. _

_ And they did stay like that, up until the night patrol opened the door and they had to jump away from each other. After getting their ears chewed out, the two immediately packed their things, turned off the lights and locked the doors of their respective offices.  _

_ They then started to walk home together, their fingers laced as they walked through the night, talking about the stars in the sky and if aliens existed in a galaxy far away from theirs. _

_ This was only one of the many moments Minju shared with Chaewon that made her heart feel full, with it skipping a beat every time Chaewon treats her with gentleness. She may like her playful side, but Minju admits that when Chaewon was just quiet, doing nothing but stare at her eyes for hours on end while her hand was holding hers as she does the same to the older girl, it was the best side of Chaewon. _

_ It was selfish of her to think that this side of Chaewon was reserved for her and her only, only to be seen by her eyes and nobody else’s, but it didn’t make her feel guilty at all. _

_ Because she already gave the same thing to Chaewon, probably even more. _

_ And if Chaewon asked for anything else, anything  _ more _ , Minju would gladly give it to her, no questions asked. It was scary to think about, but she knew she would jump headfirst for the older girl, knowing that Chaewon would be there to catch her. _

_ Kim Minju was in it  _ that _ deep for Kim Chaewon. _

_ She stayed in her comfortable spot against Chaewon’s side, her head nestled against her neck, with her heart beating a rhythm that only Chaewon could hear. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ The pair found themselves standing in front of the establishment with bold red letters spelling out “tteokbokki” at the door, their hands still clasped together. _

_ Except Chaewon’s hand was getting sweaty by the minute. _

_ She was beyond nervous; she was fighting herself to not ditch this whole thing and just whisk Minju away somewhere else where it was just the two of them. But she knew there was no backing out now, and that this meeting was inevitable. _

_ Chaewon herself was the one who arranged it, thinking it was time to let Minju slowly into the world she lives and moves in, starting with introducing her to her inner circle. This way, she hoped that Minju would have a sense that she belonged in her world as well, now that they were together. _

_ It brought a sense of comfort for Chaewon, finally letting Minju meet her closest friend in her entire life. Even if that friend would have her head once she learned that Chaewon was having thoughts of getting out of there by how her heart was racing anxiously. _

_ “Chaewon-unnie?” _

_ Chaewon heard the younger girl speak up from beside her, her face turned towards her. Her round eyes were looking at her with worry, as if sensing the growing unease in her.  _

_ She felt Minju’s hand squeeze hers a little tighter. _

_ “Are you okay?” _

_ Chaewon, going against her beating heart, forced a smile for Minju as she squeezed her hand back. _

_ “Yeah, don’t worry, it’s just uh…” Chaewon raised a finger from her other hand to scratch her cheek, feeling it grow a bit hotter by the second. _

_ “I didn’t know I was gonna be  _ this _ nervous.” _

_ Minju turned her whole body towards Chaewon, a gentle smile on her face. She raised her hands to rearrange Chaewon’s green scarf on her neck. _

_ “Whoever we’re meeting must be so important for you that you feel nervous for introducing me, huh,” the younger girl said. _

_ Chaewon grabbed Minju’s hands from her scarf and held her hands, her eyes looking at her that show her slightly troubled state. _

_ “Yeah… Yeah, she is. She’s so important to me I don’t think I can live without her,” Chaewon said solemnly. _

_ Chaewon looked up at Minju’s eyes and saw something unfamiliar flash through them. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but if she pondered on it for a while she may be able to recognize it… _

_ Ah, that’s right. _

_ It was a certain green-eyed monster. _

_ This only confirmed her thoughts when a small pout suddenly started forming on Minju’s lips. _

_ “ _ That _ important, huh…” Minju said, the beginnings of a sulking form already seen on her sagging shoulders as she slowly retracted her hands from the older girl. _

_ Chaewon’s uneasiness disappeared as soon as she saw how adorable the younger girl looked like when she was jealous. She grinned at Minju and chuckled, catching one of the younger's retreating hands with one of hers and raising the other to place it on top of Minju’s head, slightly stroking it. _

_ “There, there,” she said, her smile a contrast to Minju’s pout. “No need to be jealous, Minju. I don’t see her the way I see you.” _

_ Minju’s eyes lit up at what Chaewon said, the green-eyed monster immediately being replaced by a bright sparkle. _

_ “Oh? How exactly do you see me, unnie?” _

_ Chaewon just continued to stroke Minju’s head, her smile soft as she took a few more minutes gazing at the younger girl tenderly. _

_ She was about to say her answer when someone suddenly pushed themselves onto her back roughly while almost making her bump into Minju, and in mere seconds she felt an arm around her neck as she was forced to bend her body down. _

_ In short, Chaewon was suddenly put in a headlock. _

_ And the only person who had the guts to put her in such a state was none other than the person they were waiting for in front of the tteokbokki place. _

_ “Chaewon-ah!” a loud, confident voice boomed from the woman who held Chaewon hostage was heard. “How has my dearest, best-est friend been doing?” _

_ The woman suddenly started rubbing a palm against the top of Chaewon’s head, ruffling her hair in the process. Chaewon wasn’t able to do anything besides hold on to the arm around her neck and tapping it rapidly. _

_ Minju could only watch in horror at the sight before her. _

_ She never thought the day would come when she would see the scary vice president be overpowered by someone. _

_ (Other than her, possibly. Minju doesn’t even know if she  _ does _ hold power over Chaewon.) _

_ “E-Eunbi-unnie…” Chaewon said, clearly in distress. “Let go of me…!” _

_ The woman who held Chaewon finally let go, retracting her arm from her neck and using her hand to rub Chaewon’s back instead. _

_ Chaewon then put a hand on her neck to massage it to relieve any form of pain, before patting her hair back to its pristine state. With an annoyed expression, she turned to look at the older (but shorter) woman, who only had a mischievous grin on her. _

_ “Eunbi-unnie,” she said in acknowledgment. _

_ “Chaewon,” the woman called Eunbi replied. _

_ Without saying another word, both girls suddenly enveloped each other in a large, tight hug, holding on to one another as if their life depended on it. _

_ “I missed you, Chaewon-ah,” Eunbi said, her voice muffled against Chaewon’s shoulder. _

_ “I missed you too, unnie,” Chaewon replied with equal fervor. _

_ They pulled away from each other and faced Minju. Chaewon stepped back to stand beside Minju, holding the younger girl’s hand as she started introducing Eunbi and Minju to each other. _

_ “Minju, I’d like you to meet Eunbi-unnie. She’s the most annoying person in my whole life, and I don’t know what I’d do without her,” Chaewon introduced her close friend playfully with a smile. _

_ Eunbi gave her a look of apprehension, her lips jutted out in a pout at what Chaewon said. _

_ “What did you just say?” the older woman asked. _

_ Chaewon just rolled her eyes at her, her lips not losing her smile. _

_ She suddenly donned a serious face as she cleared her throat, her hand holding Minju’s squeezing a little tighter. She kept her eyes on the older woman before her, but sticking close to the younger girl beside her. _

_ “Eunbi-unnie, I want you to meet Minju, she’s a junior at school,” Chaewon started explaining. _

_ Minju then slightly lowered her head in shyness, her face feeling hot by the second. _

_ She didn’t mean to feel something else, though. _

_ Why did her heart drop a bit when Chaewon introduced her as her junior? _

_ They never put any label on their relationship ever since they started going out, nor did they ever talk about it. She started thinking that maybe Chaewon didn’t like putting labels on what they had, especially since they were still at an early stage.  _

_ Even so, Minju still felt an inkling of selfishness. She realized she wanted to be called something else, something  _ more _ than just a schoolmate. _

_ But Chaewon wasn’t finished yet. _

_ “And…” _

_ Chaewon turned to look at the younger girl beside her, who still had her head hung low. Her eyes then softened at the sight, a small smile forming on her lips. _

_ “...She’s my girlfriend.” _

_ Minju immediately shot her head up to look at the older girl beside her, her eyes wide at what she heard, visibly shocked at what Chaewon just called her. _

_ But deep inside, she was starting to feel warm and giddy. _

_ She may not have minded not putting a label on their budding relationship, but Minju definitely doesn’t mind being called as Chaewon’s girlfriend either. _

_ Chaewon just smiled at her and turned to look back at Eunbi, who was donning a smirk and a knowing smile. _

_ “Oh…” Eunbi said, nodding. _

_ Chaewon rolled her eyes at her again. _

_ Minju, still in her flustered state, turned quickly to the young woman in front of her and gave a low bow. _

_ “Nice to meet you, I’m Kim Minju!” _

_ Eunbi bowed at her back, stretching a hand out for a handshake, which was received by Minju sincerely. _

_ “Hi Minju, I’m Kwon Eunbi! I used to change Chaewon’s diapers,” Eunbi said without faltering, a grin on her face. _

_ “What are you saying?!” Chaewon exclaimed in disbelief, her own face getting red from embarrassment while she extended a palm to slap Eunbi’s arm. _

_ “Relax, I was just joking,” Eunbi said. “Anyway, should we go inside? It’s cold out here.” _

_ The two high schoolers nodded at Eunbi’s suggestion and they headed into the tteokbokki place. _

_ Chaewon never let go of Minju’s hand. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “...so there she was, at one end of the freshman hallways, while I was at the other end. I got too excited to see her again and finally be in the same school so I couldn’t help myself and just shouted at the top of my lungs,” Eunbi then paused and inhaled, mimicking what she did as she recounted a memory, while Chaewon started covering her face with a hand. “‘KIM CHAEWON!!!’ And just like that, everybody turned their eyes on me with the most shocked face, with Chaewon being the most violated one and her ears completely red.” _

_ A duet of laughs then came from Eunbi and Minju, while Chaewon shook her head, her face still hidden from view. _

_ “I swear to god, I wanted the ground to swallow me up whole right then and there,” Chaewon said as she looked at Eunbi in disdain. “She should be thankful the teachers gave her a pass just because she was the student council president at the time.” _

_ Minju then whipped her head towards the eldest, who was getting another piece of tteok from the pot in front of them.  _

_ “Really, unnie? You were the student council president before?” she asked. Eunbi told her to call her “unnie” moments before they sat down on to order food. Minju quickly noted how friendly the older woman was. _

_ “Yep,” Eunbi replied as she started blowing on her tteok. “But to be honest, more than because I was the president, the school let me do what I want because of my family,” she said with a roll of her eyes before popping the tteok inside her mouth. _

_ Minju then raised an eyebrow and turned towards Chaewon for an explanation. _

_ “Eunbi-unnie’s family is rich,” Chaewon started explaining. “Like, old money rich. They’re chaebols that run pharmaceuticals and are rather on the lowkey side compared to the big names you usually hear on TV.” _

_ Minju nodded in understanding, her eyes wide in surprise as she looked back at Eunbi. _

_ “Not only that, Eunbi-unnie is smart and pretty too. Her whole existence is invalid, because those kinds of people only exist in manhwas,” Chaewon continued with a smirk. _

_ Eunbi just shrugged at Chaewon, mirrorring the younger’s smirk. _

_ “Maybe I  _ am _ from a manhwa, like that one drama with Lee Jongsuk in it.” _

_ Chaewon just rolled her eyes at her. _

_ “Yeah right, once people actually get to know you, that immaculate image you have will immediately get shattered,” Chaewon jabbed _

_ “And that’s a good thing!” Eunbi countered. _

_ The three shared a laugh again as they continued eating tteokbokki. At some point during their conversation, Eunbi asked something that caught the young couple in surprise. _

_ “So Minju, can you tell me how exactly did Chaewon ask you out?” _

_ Her abrupt question almost made Minju and Chaewon choke on their respective tteoks as the older just calmly ordered a pair of cheese hotdogs, the two highschoolers downing water in haste. _

_ “What the hell, unnie?!” Chaewon exclaimed, being the first one to recover. _

_ “What? It was a genuine question!” Eunbi said in amusement. _

_ “U-Uh…” Minju just muttered out loud, at a loss for words as she was suddenly thrust into the hot seat. _

_ Chaewon put a hand on her back and looked at her in concern. _

_ “You don’t have to answer her if you don’t want to, she’s just being annoying,” she said. “Besides, I already told her how it went.” _

_ Minju looked back and forth between Chaewon’s soft eyes and Eunbi’s inquisitive ones. She knew it was going to be embarrassing recounting the events from months ago that led to where they were now, but she also knew that Eunbi meant well. _

_ Also, something just told Minju that even in the short span of time that she knew Eunbi, the young lady was someone she could put all of her trust in. _

_ So, to humor Eunbi (as well as to secretly annoy Chaewon to try and get back at her for all the teasing), she decided to tell her side of the story on how they got together. _

_ Just after sending Chaewon a mischievous look, she looked at Eunbi and started her story. _

_ “Well, it was the annual festival, and someone, whose identity we still have no idea to this day, had the brightest idea of cuffing our wrists together for three whole hours…” _

_ Chaewon started frowning from beside her and slowly raised both her hands to hide her face in them as she hung her head low. _

_ Eunbi’s grin grew by the second as Minju continued her recollection. _

_ (What the two teenagers didn’t know, was that it was Eunbi all along who sent the request to have them cuffed. She didn’t plan on telling them anytime soon.) _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Ah, shit.” _

_ The young couple suddenly whipped their heads toward their older companion upon hearing her mutter an expletive as she looked through a message on her phone. _

_ The sun was setting in the distance, painting the gray facades of buildings a pale hue of orange as everybody started gearing up for the evening hours. The three of them just got out of the tteokbokki place when Eunbi’s phone rang in her pocket to notify her of a message. _

_ Chaewon raised an eyebrow at her friend in question. _

_ “What’s up, unnie?” _

_ Eunbi locked her phone and put it back in her pocket, her eyes closed as she blew out a sigh. _

_ “And here I thought I can afford a sleepover at your place,” Eunbi said. She opened her eyes and faced Chaewon, an apologetic look donned on her. _

_ “Sorry Chae, our ass of a professor suddenly called us in for a last-minute make-up class. Which means I have to go back to school as soon as possible.” _

_ Chaewon immediately deflated at Eunbi’s words, which didn’t escape Minju’s eyes. In the few hours that they were together with the older girl, Minju already saw how much Eunbi means to Chaewon. It was still something that Minju found amazing; she had never seen a friendship as pure and strong as that of Chaewon and Eunbi’s. _

_ “Well, it can’t be helped. We’ll just have to schedule that sleepover for another time,” Chaewon said, smiling sadly. _

_ Eunbi then reached a hand to caress Chaewon’s head, smiling at her. _

_ Minju looked over at the two, and along with their sad looks her heart sank. Chaewon told her during their meal that she hadn’t been seeing Eunbi as frequently since the older started medical school, so she considered even the littlest of whiles with her precious. _

_ (“Wow, you love me that much?” Eunbi said when Chaewon finished speaking. Chaewon glared at her and, without faltering, gave her answer. “Yes. Yes, I do.” Even Minju’s heart fluttered at how resolute Chaewon was, while Eunbi just looked at precious friend with the softest of gazes.) _

_ Suddenly, an idea struck Minju’s mind. _

_ “U-Um…!” she said to call out Eunbi and Chaewon’s attention. _

_ The two older girls then looked over her. _

_ “I’ll go ahead and hail a cab for Eunbi-unnie, while you guys stay here and continue chatting,” Minju offered. _

_ Eunbi then widened her eyes in surprise, immediately holding her hands out towards Minju to stop her. _

_ “No, you don’t need to! It’s not like I can’t talk to Chaewon on the phone,” she said. _

_ Minju just shook her head and smiled. _

_ “I insist. You guys don’t know yourselves when’s the next time you’ll see each other, so you have to make the best of it, right?” _

_ The youngest girl then started stepping away from the other two as she headed towards the main street. _

_ “I’ll call you when the cab’s arrived, unnie!” _

_ And just like that, Minju sped off. _

_ Chaewon and Eunbi weren’t able to reject the offer any further. _

_ “Seriously, that girl…” Chaewon said, sighing. _

_ “She’s way too good for you, Chae,” Eunbi said, shaking her head slightly. _

_ Chaewon turned to look at her friend, an unamused face directed at her. _

_ “What do you mean by that?” _

_ Instead of answering, Eunbi just looked back at Chaewon and asked her a question in return, a soft smile on her lips. _

_ “You love her, don’t you?” _

_ Chaewon widened her eyes at the shock she felt from Eunbi’s question, and could slowly feel heat rise up to her cheeks and all the way to the topmost tips of her ears. _

_ She was about to say something to rebuke Eunbi’s statement, but she knows she can never get anything past her friend. Instead, she slowly sighed and looked away, owning up to her feelings and speaking the truth. _

_ “I don’t think…” Chaewon started. “I don’t think we’re at the stage where I can freely tell her that, though.” _

_ Eunbi said nothing as she gazed upon Chaewon who was close to pouring her heart out. She then asked the younger girl another question. _

_ “I know this is still too early, but do you think you’re gonna end up with her?” _

_ Chaewon scoffed at her question, shaking her head with a smile. _

_ “I think…” _

_ Chaewon lifted her head up, just in time to see Minju coming back to them, an arm outstretched upwards to call their attention. She then looked back at Eunbi just before she gave her answer, still smiling. _

_ “I think she’s gonna be in my life for a long time.” _

_ “Hey! Chaewon-unnie, Eunbi-unnie!” Minju called out in the distance. _

_ Eunbi just looked at Chaewon, not asking another question any further. _

_ That was all she needed to know. _

_ Eunbi hooked her arm in Chaewon’s and started dragging the younger girl towards Minju. _

_ “Come on, you cheesy little brat,” she said. “Your princess is waiting.” _

_ Chaewon just rolled her eyes at her best friend and allowed herself to get dragged. _

_ Chaewon and Minju said goodbye to their older friend afterward, promising to see each other again. _

_ As they watched the cab speed off farther from them, Chaewon found Minju’s hand again and held it, their fingers laced. They then headed home together, and just like their usual routine, the couple started talking about every topic they could think of. _

_ The stars were out when Chaewon finally let go of Minju’s hand as they arrived at the younger’s front gate. They bade each other good night, with Chaewon promising to text Minju as soon as she got home. _

_ Minju was lying down on her bed when she received Chaewon’s text, telling her she arrived home safely. After a few more texts, she set her phone by her nightstand, turning on the night light and finally settled in a soft sleep. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Minju-yah,” Chaewon called her lover softly from beside her. “I have to tell you something.” _

_ Minju looked over just as she took a sip from her coke, swallowing it with the bite of pizza she just had. _

_ It was now the earliest days of spring in the new year when the ice had barely begun to melt. One would think it was still winter, but the telltale signs of the small buds of flowers starting to bloom would make them think otherwise. _

_ Chaewon and Minju, in their casual layers kept warm by padded jackets that were a size too big for their relatively small frames, were sitting down on a mat they spread out over the grass by the Han River, enjoying the setting sun and the colors it washed over the city. They just came from a party that celebrated Chaewon’s win as the new student council president, arranged by both the student council and the journalism club. The two of them slowly escaped the party just before the underaged drinking sessions started, and opted to go on an impromptu pizza date by the riverside.  _

_ (Minju asked Chaewon how their friends could get away with drinking alcohol despite being underaged, and all Chaewon answered was "money can buy you everything, even free passes to do illegal things". Minju was then reminded of the nature of their school and the students who attended it.) _

_ How Chaewon’s presidency came about, Minju found the memories hazy now that she thought about it. She remembered Chaewon running to her pouting one day as she invited her to have lunch in the student council office, almost tackling her into a hug. When she asked her what was wrong, the older girl just looked at her, still pouting, and told her she was going to run for president. Chaewon was having second thoughts on campaigning, especially since she wasn’t that “outgoing” (her words, not Minju’s) in the first place, but Minju comforted her saying she was going to win it by a landslide. After another while convincing a stubborn Chaewon, the then vice-president finally conceded. _

_ (“If you say I can do it then,” Chaewon then turned to her, a smile slowly creeping up to adorn itself on her small face, making her eyes transform into little crescents. She took Minju’s hand and gave it a little squeeze. “I’ll do it.”) _

_ After a month of preparation and campaigning, Chaewon was then elected as the new student council president. Everybody thought the competition wouldn’t stand a chance against someone who was full of merit as Chaewon, even if the said competition was endorsed by the spiteful former president. After Chaewon and the new set of council officers took their oath, they immediately went out after school to do karaoke.  _

_ (They didn't forget to go home first and change out of their uniforms; they were still responsible students who didn't want to tarnish their school's reputation.) _

_ And that was how the two of them ended up by the riverside this quiet evening, getting into their routine of talking about everything while munching on delivery pizza paired with their choice of (non-alcoholic) drinks. _

_ Minju looked at Chaewon and saw the hesitation in her eyes. Wordlessly, she dusted stray crumbs off her right hand on her jacket before holding her girlfriend’s left hand that was, for some reason, placed firmly, almost unmoving, on the mat. _

_ “What is it, unnie?” Minju probed with the same tenderness as Chaewon used. _

_ Chaewon gave a deep sigh, holding her palm up so she could hold Minju’s hand better.  _

_ “Something’s telling me that this is gonna be a busy year for the both of us,” Chaewon said, looking out to the river as she started playing with Minju’s hand. _

_ “I’m gonna be a senior as soon as the new semester starts, and that means I’m gonna have to go to cram school after school,” she said.  _

_ “Not that I won’t be spending all summer studying in the first place. All of that on top of being the president,” she said, shaking her head slowly. _

_ Chaewon looked over at Minju, smiling solemnly. _

_ “What I’m trying to say is, maybe we won’t have time to spend together as much as we want to anymore,” the older girl said. Chaewon looked down to see their hands fastened to each other and brought them to her lap. _

_ “But that doesn’t mean we  _ won’t _ find time to be together,” she told Minju, smiling a little brighter. “We’re just gonna be a bit busier this year, so we’ll have to make a few adjustments.” _

_ Minju felt her own mouth curve into a smile, mirroring that of Chaewon’s, as she scooched a little closer to her.  _

_ “Of course,” Minju said, holding Chaewon’s hand in hers tighter. “As important as our relationship is, our studies are our first priority, right?” _

_ Chaewon leaned her head back a little to eye Minju at what she just said, her smile reshaping itself into a smirk. _

_ “Look at you, spouting grown-up stuff,” Chaewon teased. “Aren’t you supposed to be the younger one here?” _

_ Minju just gave her a little whine and a slight push in retaliation, making Chaewon grin at her. The older one switched her left hand that was holding Minju’s with her right hand, so she could put her left arm around the younger girl and bring her closer, pulling her into a half-hug. _

_ “We’re gonna be okay,” Chaewon said, reassuring the both of them. “It may sound funny especially since we’re both still kids, but I just want you to know that.” _

_ She pulled away from Minju so she could hold her face with both hands and look at the younger’s eyes, seeing the stars in them that were yet to reveal themselves that evening. _

_ This was Chaewon’s own, and much more preferred, version of stargazing. _

_ Somewhere in the middle of watching Minju’s eyes, her eyes started flitting slowly downwards, her gaze tracing the slope of her nose, and stopping abruptly once she realized which specific part of the younger’s face she landed her eyes on. _

_ Pink, a bit shiny either from leftover gloss or the oil from the pizza they ate. She could see some sauce by the corner of her mouth, and the skin was slightly chapped from the cold of the season. _

_ But even if it looked messy, why did Chaewon find Minju’s lips so,  _ so  _ soft and attractive that all she wanted to do was learn how it would feel like if they were against her own lips? _

_ Chaewon was starting to find difficulty in breathing; her breath that was going out of her lungs was slowing down, getting hitched along the way. But in contrast, she could feel her heart beating in haste against her chest, the rhythm ringing in her ears. _

_ Everything around them suddenly became dull to Chaewon’s senses, the noise turning into plaque as the only person she saw was Minju, and the only thing she could focus on was her lips and the desire bubbling within her. _

_ If only she could close the distance, stroke that pair of flesh that looked so inviting with her own, feel it on her own skin― _

_ “Unnie?” _

_ But Chaewon knew where her limits lie. _

_ She moved her thumb from the hand that held the younger’s face and wiped the sauce off the corner Minju’s mouth. As she was doing so, she felt the world return to its original pace, regaining her awareness of everything around her. _

_ And just like that, the moment was over. _

_ “I know the pizza was good, but I think you should pay attention to how you eat, too.” _

_ Minju pouted at the older girl and just let her continue wiping off any other stray marks from the aftermath of their meal. _

_ Once done, she gave Minju’s cheeks a small squeeze, much to the dismay of the other girl. _

_ “Ow!” Minju said. _

_ “That’s what you get for eating like a kid sometimes,” Chaewon teased. _

_ “You like this ‘kid’ anyway,” Minju said smugly. _

_ Chaewon just scoffed at her, but the red spreading across her cheeks that were definitely not from the cold was evident. _

_ Without answering, she just pulled the younger girl to a full hug, wrapping her arms around Minju with the younger reciprocating. _

_ “I thought you were gonna hit me in retaliation, but this is nice,” Minju said, her head sinking into Chaewon’s shoulder in comfort. _

_ “Yeah well, don’t get used to it,” Chaewon answered, holding the younger girl tighter. _

_ Something told her that she wasn’t going to be able to hold Minju like this for a while, so she decided to savor the moment, when it felt like they were the only ones in the world. _

_ Chaewon slowly closed her eyes as she leaned her head against Minju’s shoulder, echoing her words from one of the similar moments they had before. _

_ “Let’s just stay like this for a little while longer.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Chaewon called Minju into the student council office one evening when the sun was setting behind them and almost every student had gone home for the day. _

_ The school paper was chasing deadlines that day, the telltale scent of coffee wafting throughout their office. Minju, now in her sophomore year and promoted to editor, stayed behind to help out with proofreading the other sections’ articles even if she was already done with hers.  _

_ Park Chaewon’s phone rang beside her in the middle of editing articles, a slight disturbance amidst the silent but hectic atmosphere in their office. Everybody heard how the editor-in-chief picked up the call in an almost annoyed way. _

_ “Yeah?” Chaewon answered without looking away from her computer screen. “Why… You do realize we’re busy right…” _

_ Minju, in her curiosity, looked up from her desk and found herself making eye contact with their chief. _

_ “...I don’t care if you haven’t seen her in a  _ year _ , Kim, she can’t leave the office.” _

_ At that moment, Minju knew who was on the other end of the call, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. _

_ “Fine, fine! I’ll give you five minutes… Yeah yeah, no need to thank me.” _

_ The chief dropped the call and looked over at Minju, who was still hunched over her work trying to hide from the people who started to snicker around her. _

_ “Kim Minju, your  _ girlfriend _ wants to see you next door,” she said, returning to her work. “I’ll only give you five minutes so you better get going.” _

_ Minju quickly stood up and stepped away from her desk, and was about to leave the room when she quickly backpedaled to the coffee machine to make a cup. _

_ “Jeez, you’re spoiling her too much,” one of the writers told Minju with a smirk. “That coffee isn’t for people outside the paper, as far as I know.” _

_ Minju stuck a tongue out at her friend as she was stirring the cup of coffee. _

_ “I don’t drink coffee anyway, so she can have my share,” Minju bit back, finally walking away to leave, saying “thank you!” with a chirp as Park Chaewon waved her off. _

_ She walked the small distance to the student council office, coffee in hand, and when she reached the door, she knocked a few times until she heard the familiar voice call her in. _

_ Minju then stepped inside the room and saw Chaewon sitting sideways on the edge of the center table, a leg propped up on the wood of the desk.  _

_ The scene that welcomed her took her back to the moment that drove their relationship forward, a little over a year ago. _

_ Chaewon was once again bathed in the glow of the sunset behind her, the rest of the lights in the student council room turned off. She was looking behind her towards the field of the school where some students from the sports clubs were running around. _

_ Minju was reminded of all of the things she felt that day when Chaewon confessed, and couldn’t help but smile at the thought of how much they were awkward with each other at the start and how far they have come together. It was a nostalgic feeling, but it made her warm nonetheless. _

_ Especially now that she gets to share her time like this with no one other than Chaewon. _

_ The girl in question turned her head and smiled at Minju, holding out a hand for the younger girl to take. _

_ Minju gleefully obliged, walking closer to take the hand outstretched towards her while the cup of coffee was in the other. Chaewon pulled her closer to her side and glanced at the coffee Minju brought. _

_ “Did you smuggle that out?” she asked, humor in her tone. _

_ “Yeah, I figured you needed the boost even at the cost of my boss chopping my head off,” Minju chirped back. _

_ “If she did have your head, I’ll have hers then,” the older girl said with a smug look, trying to look menacing but only failing comically, with her lover only giving her a giggle. _

_ Chaewon took the cup from Minju’s hand and gave it a tentative sip. Her eyes grew wide at what she tasted and gave it another series of sips. She then looked up at Minju inquisitively. _

_ “How did you know I like my coffee this way?” she asked. _

_ Minju smiled at her. “You ask that as if I haven’t seen you make yourself coffee a thousand times since we started dating.” _

_ Chaewon grew silent and just continued drinking her coffee, small pink dustings spreading across her cheeks. _

_ “So,” Minju spoke up again. “How may I be of service to the president?” _

_ Chaewon put down the cup behind her on the table and looked up at Minju from her sitting position. She then spread her arms out, gesturing to the younger girl for a hug. _

_ Minju smiled fondly at Chaewon’s antics and came closer, wrapping the older girl in her arms as she laid her cheek on Chaewon’s head. She felt Chaewon’s arms go around her waist and fasten themselves onto her. Minju then felt Chaewon give out a deep sigh in comfort, her body relaxing against hers. _

_ The room was silent besides the sounds that came from the voices of the people outside, as well as the stray murmurs from the corridors of the school. Along with the darkness of the unlit office, it gave both of them a serene atmosphere, bringing them comfort that only a quiet place where it was only the two of them can offer. _

_ “It feels like I haven’t held you like this in ages,” Chaewon said in a small voice. _

_ Minju knew Chaewon already had her eyes closed at that moment, which only made her smile grow wider. She started rubbing a hand softly on the older girl’s shoulder. _

_ “We’ve definitely become a lot busier,” Minju said. “But you more particularly.” _

_ Chaewon was well into her senior year, and just like all seniors in the whole world, she was “about to die at any moment”, or at least that’s what she has been sending to Minju’s inbox. On top of not letting her grades drop, she had to do student council duties, as well as go to cram school immediately after school. The two of them haven’t been going on any dates due to Chaewon being busy, and even their having lunch together diminished because Chaewon would rather opt to eat in the student council office. _

_ That was why these stolen moments were all the more precious to them. They may not be spending as much time as before, but they know their relationship is as strong as ever. _

_ “I’ve been thinking of just ditching everything and hug you forever,” Chaewon said, her voice getting smaller every time she spoke. _

_ (Minju thinks she was about to fall asleep in her arms, which was more than likely to happen if she were to be honest.) _

_ “I don’t think you’re gonna let yourself do that though, unnie,” she answered to the older girl who seemed more like a baby at the moment, about to drift into the land of dreams. _

_ Chaewon pulled back to look at Minju, her eyes half-lidded. _

_ (Minju was right, she was  _ definitely _ about to fall asleep.) _

_ “Try me,” Chaewon dared. _

_ Minju just chuckled at her antics. _

_ “Tell you what, why don’t I just drop you off at cram school so you can at least hug me for a bit longer on the way there?” Minju said in compromise. _

_ Chaewon furrowed her eyebrows at what she heard. _

_ “You’ll be home late if you did that,” she argued. _

_ Minju just shook her head at her. _

_ “If it means I get to spend time with you, then I’ll be fine,” she said. _

_ Chaewon just stared at her blankly before detaching an arm from Minju’s waist and bringing it up to pull on one of her cheeks. _

_ “Ow!” _

_ “When did you learn to say that, huh? When did you become so cheesy, Kim Minju?” Chaewon asked. _

_ “I learn from the best,” Minju said with a cheeky smile. _

_ (She wasn’t about to tell Chaewon that she had been texting with Eunbi who was giving her tips on how to win her girlfriend’s heart even more.) _

_ “Anyway, are you heading out now? I can tell the other Chaewon-unnie that I’ll leave early, my work is done anyway,” Minju said. _

_ “Oh, you’re definitely gonna get your head chopped off at this rate,” Chaewon told her with a smile as she slowly removed herself from Minju to stand up. _

_ Minju frowned at the idea. She knew the chief wouldn’t let her go easily, especially since they needed her help now more than ever. _

_ Suddenly an idea came to her mind. _

_ “...Do you want to escape with me?” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. _

_ Chaewon raised an eyebrow and smirked. _

_ “I like the sound of that.” _

_ Chaewon then started gathering her things from the president’s desk and stuffed it inside her bag. She then picked it up and slung it through her shoulder, and after downing her coffee in one go, she walked towards Minju who was already at the door and took her hand.  _

_ They closed the lights from the student council room and closed it, then made their way towards the school paper’s office.  _

_ “Wait here, okay?” Minju said, answered with a nod from Chaewon. _

_ Minju took the empty cup from Chaewon and went inside the office. She noticed that the other Chaewon was not in the room, and after placing the empty cup near the place where they get coffee, she asked one of the people inside the office a question. _

_ “Where did Chaewon-unnie go?”  _

_ Without looking up from her laptop, the person answered Minju. _

_ “Restroom.” _

_ Minju grinned at the reply. _

_ Her escape plan was going better than she thought. _

_ “Can you tell her I’m leaving now? I’m done doing my own stuff, anyway.” _

_ Another one of Minju’s friends from the club looked at her incredulously. _

_ “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” they told her. “She said nobody’s allowed to leave until the final layout is done.” _

_ Minju just shrugged and started packing her stuff. Without losing her smile, she walked to the door, seeing her girlfriend waiting for her. _

_ “Well, I’ll deal with her tomorrow,” she said. _

_ Taking Chaewon’s hand in hers, she said goodbye to the people inside the office, and immediately after closing the door the pair walked towards the stairs with speeded steps. _

_ Along the way, however, they came across Minju’s boss, who became confused at the sight of them, holding hands and almost running down the hallway. _

_ Without stopping, the two girls just gave the editor-in-chief a quick “Hi! Bye!” and continued on their way. _

_ It was when they were about to descend the stairs that they heard Park Chaewon call out to them. _

_ “Kim Minju! Where are you going, come back here! Kim Chaewon, where are you taking her?!” _

_ The only answer she got from the two escapees were their laughter echoing against the walls of the nearly-empty school. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Congratulations on your graduation, Chaewon-unnie!” _

_ Chaewon quickly turned around from talking to her classmates to see a bouquet directed to her face. When she peeked around it to see who was holding it, her lips shaped themselves into a bright smile. _

_ “Hey,” she said softly. “Thank you, you didn’t have to.” _

_ Minju gave a smile of her own. _

_ “What are you talking about? This is a special gift for a special girl for her special day.” _

_ She shifted the diploma and one smaller bouquet she received earlier be accommodated by only one hand just so she could take the flowers Minju was giving her with the other. _

_ “Alright, I’ll take it,” Chaewon said, looking at the bouquet softly. _

_ She then looked at Minju with the same soft eyes and spread her arms to invite her into a hug, to which the younger joyfully obliged. _

_ It was spring again, and this time the weather was bearable enough to brave with just coats on their uniforms. The sun was shining on their school as if celebrating with the newly graduated seniors who were now finally done with their high school careers, and now moving on to the next chapter of their lives.  _

_ Even if Chaewon’s peers surrounded them and there were people who were looking onto the couple holding each other amidst the crowd, or even none at all, they didn’t mind. _

_ Partly because they didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that this event also signified them not being able to spend their school days together anymore. _

_ So they just stood there, holding each other without a care, because they know it was going to be another long while until they will have the chance for something like this again. _

_ After a few minutes, Chaewon pulled away. _

_ “It’s gonna be your turn to graduate next year,” she said with a chuckle. “And I’m gonna give you an even bigger, prettier bouquet.” _

_ Minju just rolled her eyes, but a blush was already evident on her face. _

_ “Looking forward to it, then.” _

_ “Chaewon!” _

_ Upon hearing her name, Chaewon whipped her head to the side, her eyes widening at the sight of the people who called her. _

_ “Mom, Dad!” _

_ Chaewon’s mom gave her a hug, taking care not to hug too tight because of the flowers her daughter was holding. _

_ After the hug, her dad then offered to take her stuff for her to free her hands. _

_ Minju, all flustered from the sight of her girlfriend’s family, quickly greeted them. _

_ “H-Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Kim!” _

_ “Hi there, Minju-ssi,” Chaewon’s mom said with a warm smile.  _

_ Minju only met Chaewon’s parents a handful of times, and she never shook off the nervousness whenever she met them. This time wasn’t an exception. _

_ Sensing the younger’s unease, Chaewon stepped away from her parents to pull Minju away from them with just enough distance. She then spoke to her, without letting go of her hand. _

_ “We’re gonna go out to celebrate for the rest of the day, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to text you until I get home. Would that be okay?” Chaewon softly asked Minju. _

_ Minju then nodded in understanding, giving the older girl a smile. _

_ “Of course it is. Your family comes first after all. We’ll talk later, then?” _

_ Chaewon squeezed Minju’s hand in appreciation. _

_ “Of course. Thank you again.” _

_ Chaewon then gave Minju another hug, tighter than the one she gave before. _

_ “I’ll call you,” she said before finally stepping away from Minju to rejoin her parents. _

_ Minju watched from a distance as Chaewon started talking to her parents animatedly, her back turned towards her. She saw Chaewon’s mom leaned forward to whisper something to her daughter’s ear, with Chaewon turning her head sideways to look at her mom.  _

_ Surprise was evident on Chaewon’s face, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised. _

_ Minju wondered what her mom told her. _

_ Chaewon then slowly turned her head back towards Minju, and there Minju saw how her face became visibly red. _

_ The older girl turned her head back in front to look at her mother, who was now chuckling at her. Chaewon’s father then said something to her with a smile, which prompted Chaewon to sag her shoulders. _

_ After a second, Chaewon made the motion of taking a deep breath and turned around, beginning to stalk towards Minju. _

_ Now the younger girl grew more confused, but her confusion quickly turned into worry at the sight of her girlfriend’s face. _

_ When Chaewon reached Minju again, Minju saw that she was wearing the most intense face that she had ever seen. It was similar to when she first confessed, or when she first gave her public speech during her campaign to become president, except this time her face was in the deepest shade of red. _

_ “Unnie? What’s the matter?” Minju asked, her eyebrows meeting in the middle. _

_ Chaewon just stared at her with pursed lips, her blush not subsiding. _

_ She then took a deep breath, and with every ounce of strength within her, spoke to Minju that completely caught the younger girl off-guard. _

_ “My parents… are inviting you to have lunch with us.” _

_ It was Minju’s turn to stare at Chaewon, who completely lost the ability to process the words that Chaewon said to her. _

_ “W-What…?” _

_ Chaewon brought her face to her hands, trying to regain composure as she herself couldn’t handle the embarrassment that she was feeling at that exact moment. _

_ She took another breath, and with another try, rephrased her words to be more concise. _

_ “Would you like to have lunch with me and my family?” _

Blink.

_ Minju just continued to stare at the girl before her, until the redness started to visibly creep up from her neck, filling her cheeks, and all the way towards the topmost tips of her ears. Once Chaewon’s words have successfully lodged themselves in her brain, she started doing a weird ritual with her hands that included bringing them up to cover her mouth, then removing them to fan her heated cheeks as her eyes darted from Chaewon to everywhere to Chaewon again, all in the span of five seconds or less. _

_ After closing her eyes and fanning her face one final time, Minju looked squarely at her lover and barely squeaked out her answer. _

_ “...I’d love to.” _

_ Chaewon’s face instantly became brighter at her response as a grin immediately grew on it. _

_ She took Minju’s hand in hers and pulled her towards her parents, the blush on their faces slowly receding. _

_ “I’m guessing she said yes?” Chaewon’s father said. _

_ Chaewon just nodded at him, with Minju bowing deeply at them in gratitude. _

_ “Thank you for having me,” Minju said. _

_ Chaewon’s mother piped in at the adorable sight of the young couple in front of them. _

_ “Well, I hope this isn’t the last time Minju says yes to you, Chaewon.” _

_ Chaewon just looked at her mother in horror, the blush coming back full force, coloring her from the neck up in complete red. _

_ “Mom!” she exclaimed. _

_ Meanwhile, Minju felt like passing out when she heard what Chaewon’s mother said. _

_ The older couple just laughed at their reactions. _

_ “Well then,” Mr. Kim spoke again. “Shall we get going? I’m pretty much starving.” _

_ Chaewon’s parents then began walking towards the school’s exit gates, with the young girls following them from behind. Chaewon took Minju’s hand in hers as they silently walked, still a little bit red from the teasing they received earlier. _

_ Somewhere along the walk to her parents’ car, Chaewon let go of Minju’s hand and instead opted to hook her arm with the younger’s own arm. _

_ They shared a smile as they each pulled each other closer to their side, and they never separated even as they got inside the car. _

_ Despite getting jabbed with teasing remarks from either parent during Minju’s time with Chaewon and her family, the only feeling that the young couple focused on at was how full their hearts were, being elated at how they will share this special moment together with Chaewon’s family. _

_ Minju wondered if this was what it was like to be part of Chaewon’s family, to  _ be _ called family. _

_ When they dropped her at her home that day with Chaewon saying goodbye with a bright smile, a squeeze of her hand, and a promise of “I’ll call you later”, Minju went up to her bedroom and let her thoughts wander. _

_ Because she couldn’t help but think about what would happen in the future, and what it holds for both her and Chaewon. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Minju stepped out of the building of her cram school one evening when it was unusually chilly for a summer night. The wind was blowing tonight, as if to compensate for the humid air during the day. The school already made them wear their short-sleeved summer uniforms, and now she was regretting not bringing a hoodie at least to shield herself from the cold. _

_ She was rubbing her arms slightly to generate enough warmth while checking her phone for any messages. As she was about to stalk towards the bus stop to get home, her view was suddenly obstructed into blackness as someone from behind her covered her eyes with their hands. _

_ “W-What? Hey!” _

_ Minju was close to bringing an elbow to the perpetrator’s stomach when she heard them spoke. _

_ “Guess who?” _

_ Minju felt herself grin widely. _

_ “Come one, Chaewon-unnie, you can cut it out now.” _

_ The hands on her eyes slowly pulled away, letting her regain her vision. _

_ “No fun,” said the person behind her, who now moved in front of her to reveal herself. _

_ If there was any way Minju’s grin got any brighter, it just did at the sight of her girlfriend. _

_ “Hey,” Minju said as she stepped closer, hugging Chaewon, who was more than gleeful to reciprocate. _

_ “Hey,” Chaewon said in the hug. _

_ They pulled away from each other, which gave Minju a good look at the older girl. _

_ Chaewon was in simple casual clothes a white shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and her favorite sneakers. But what caught Minju’s attention the most was the main point of Chaewon’s get-up that evening. _

_ Chaewon was wearing a dark blue letterman jacket with a white bold “S” by the left chest, with embroidery on the sleeves. _

_ It was her university jacket, which only added to her aura and status of someone who was attending college. _

_ Minju doesn’t know why, but she definitely found university-student Chaewon really attractive. _

_ Especially since she goes to  _ that _ university. _

_ “Unnie, can you turn around for a sec?” Minju asked. _

_ “Hm? Okay,” Chaewon answered, turning around to show her back to Minju. _

_ And there it was. Minju swore that she just swooned and filled herself with pride at the same time when she saw the words written on the back of Chaewon’s jacket. _

SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

College of Medicine

_ Minju placed a hand on Chaewon’s back to feel the tailored words on the cloth of the jacket. _

_ “You worked hard, unnie,” she said softly. _

_ Chaewon turned around, smiling at her. She held the hand that was previously on her back and squeezed it. _

_ “I wouldn’t have done it without you,” Chaewon said with a cheesy, teasing tone, but her feelings were sincere. _

_ Minju snorted at Chaewon’s cheesy remark, but nonetheless her heart felt full. _

_  
_ _ “Anyway, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to disappear off the face of the earth since you’re in med school now?” _

_ Chaewon lips just curved upward at her. It was one of those lopsided smiles where her eyes shone in adoration at the same time and told her that for the older girl, she was the one that held more than just the stars of the universe for her. _

_ “I wanted to see you,” Chaewon said. “And I make time for those important to me.” _

_ Minju’s heart jumped wildly at what Chaewon said, forcefully making its presence known as it bashed itself against her ribcage in a loud rhythm, effectively making blood rush to her face and making her red. _

_ She was swooning. Hard. And if she was an extreme person, she would have carved a hole in her chest just to take the lump of beating muscle inside her and have Chaewon take it. _

_ Good thing she wasn’t. _

_ (Minju has been reading horror manhwa to destress these days, even if she hated it a lot.) _

_ She shook her head and was about to say something in retort when a breeze blew through them, effectively making the younger girl shiver. _

_ Chaewon noticed this and without a second thought, she immediately unbuttoned her jacket and draped it over Minju’s shoulders to keep her warm. _

_ Minju then tried giving the jacket back. _

_ “Unnie I’m okay,” she said, her eyebrows meeting in the middle of her forehead as she looked at the older girl in worry. “You need this, too.” _

_ Chaewon just shook her head at her.  _

_ “I’m not cold, and you look like you need it more anyway,” she said, swatting Minju’s hands that were trying to take the jacket off away. She then started buttoning up the jacket just enough to secure it on the younger’s body. _

_ Minju got embarrassed at Chaewon’s proximity and ducked her head. She started smelling the signature mint scent from the jacket as well as from the owner herself, and Minju feels like drowning in it, especially with Chaewon close to her. _

_ (Not to mention the fact that Chaewon looked incredibly amazing even in just a simple shirt and jeans.) _

_ Chaewon then stepped back and looked at Minju in her jacket. _

_ “See? It actually looks good on you,” Chaewon said. _

_ (Minju never looked bad in anything, anyway. She could wear a garbage bag as a dress and Chaewon would still find her pretty. But she wasn’t about to voice that out.) _

_ “Also, I know you still have months to go, but you already look like a legit SNU student.” _

_ Minju stopped herself as she heard what Chaewon said.  _

_ She slowly looked at Chaewon, and looked down again. _

_ “About that…” _

_ Chaewon learned how to read Minju in the two years that they have been together, and she knows whether the girl was happy, sad, angry, nervous, and everything else, and how to pacify her when she needed to. _

_ That was why at that moment, it didn’t even take a second for Chaewon to see the uneasiness that fell on Minju. _

_ She quickly closed their distance again and held both of the younger’s hands. _

_ “What is it? What’s wrong?” Chaewon asked her gently. _

_ Minju sighed, one that she didn’t intend to turn out heavy. She looked at Chaewon in the eyes, already gaining a sense of comfort from her. _

_ “Would you like to go to the river with me for a while, unnie?” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ They were at Han River again, this time settling on a bench just outside the convenience store they bought some drinks and a few snacks from. The moon hung itself in all of its crescent glory in the middle of the night sky, with a few stars surrounding it which managed to make themselves visible that night, despite the light pollution from the bustling metro.  _

_ Chaewon and Minju each took a few sips from their respective drinks coupled with bites from their food. After a while of comfortable silence, Chaewon looked over to Minju beside her, prompting her again. _

_ “So,” she said, being careful with her words. “What did you want to talk about?” _

_ Minju looked over at the river, watching the ripples flow along it as the river ferries go from one point to another across the waters. _

_ She took a deep breath to compose herself, and started speaking. _

_ “Remember when you went with me to check out all the universities I was applying to?”  _

_ Chaewon nodded. “Of course. I remember you saying SNU was incredibly impressive.” _

_ Minju chuckled dryly, shaking her head a bit. _

_ “Almost  _ too _ impressive. I guess it’s expected of the country’s best university.” _

_ Chaewon nodded again, understanding where Minju was coming from. Even if she was already a student at the said university, she sometimes finds the fact that she’s attending South Korea’s topmost school a bit too overwhelming, especially as a freshman. _

_ She stayed silent for a while, contemplating how to say her next words. _

_ She decided to just ask anyway. _

_ “You…” Chaewon started.  _

_ “You don’t want to go to SNU, don’t you?” _

_ Minju shifted her sight from the river to the can of soda on her hands, hanging her head low. _

_ “...I don’t,” she said, her voice small but filled with conviction. “Nor Korea University, nor Yonsei. I don’t want to go to any of the SKY schools, unnie.” _

_ Chaewon moved her hand to hold Minju’s free hand, encouraging the younger girl to speak more. _

_ “It’s not like they don’t give the best education, it’s literally what they  _ do _ , but…” _

_ Chaewon smiled at Minju, knowing exactly what the younger was trying to say. _

_ “Your heart’s not in them, is it?” _

_ Minju then looked at Chaewon, her eyes glossy as if she was on the verge of letting her tears fall. She looked at their hands clasped together on the older’s lap, and started moving her thumb against the skin of Chaewon’s hand absentmindedly. Without meaning to, it gave her enough comfort to keep talking. _

_ “We went to Sungkyunkwan that day,” Minju said. _

_ Chaewon nodded again, her smile intact as she knows where the younger was headed. _

_ “When we went there, I just… I just fell in  _ love _ ,” Minju said, but looking up at Chaewon abruptly. “Not as much as how I fell for you, but let’s not talk about that right now.” _

_ They shared a giggle at Minju’s addition, and as much as Chaewon wants to dwell on her words especially with how her heart skipped a beat when it reached her ears, Minju’s dilemma came first. _

_ “The atmosphere of the campus, the buildings, the history of the school and everything, how the remnants of old Seoul was still intact and how they’re able to coexist with the modern times and make it so  _ beautiful _ … it just felt right for me. It felt like I  _ belonged _ there.” _

_ Chaewon just continued watching Minju, as the gloss of her eyes disappeared and was instead replaced by a sparkle, one ignited by her passion for the school that caught her heart. _

_ "I want to go to Sungkyunkwan, unnie. I really do." _

_ Chaewon smiled fondly at the fire she saw in Minju’s eyes. There was no doubt that Minju found her dreams in the said university, and she was more than happy for the younger girl that she was this passionate to pursue them. _

_ But Chaewon knew of the problem that Minju was yet to mention. _

_ She squeezed the hand on her lap a bit tighter. _

_ “It’s your parents, isn’t it?” she asked in a small voice. _

_ Minju shifted her sight lower again. _

_ Chaewon scooted closer and put an arm around the younger girl, keeping her close to her. _

_ Minju gave out a deep sigh. _

_ “They want me to go to SNU and be a doctor, remember?” _

_ Chaewon started gently rubbing her hand on Minju’s younger as she continued talking. _

_ “Have you talked to them?” _

_ Minju just shook her head. _

_ “I tried mentioning it to them one time, about me thinking about getting into journalism instead of medicine. They just shot me down, saying ‘you’re not gonna earn if you just write about local gossip’. ” _

_ She choked back a sob, and that was when Chaewon brought her closer and into a hug. _

_ “That hurt you know, unnie. It felt like all these years of writing for the school paper wasn’t worthwhile, and to them, it was just a ‘hobby’.” _

_ The older brought a hand up and started patting Minju’s head, trying to comfort her. _

_ “You know that’s not true. If we really have to think about it, this country wouldn’t be what it is if it weren’t for our journalists,” Chaewon said. “And even if you’re just a student, you’re doing more than something worthwhile. Your parents need to see this.” _

_ Minju returned the hug as she leaned her forehead on Chaewon’s shoulder, sighing into it to try and push back the tears that were threatening to fall. _

_ “If only it were that easy… They’re too stubborn to listen.” _

_ “Well, at least you know who you took after,” Chaewon said, smiling as she found humor despite her girlfriend’s predicament. _

_ Minju pulled away, sporting a pout as she hit Chaewon’s shoulder lightly. _

_ “Unnie!” she whined. _

_ Chaewon just grinned even more. _

_ “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” _

_ She opened her arms again and Minju obliged to lean into her warm hug again. _

_ “Look, I know it’s gonna be hard talking to them, but you gotta try, alright? I don’t want you ending up into something in the future where your heart's not in it. You’re gonna be miserable that way,” she said in a consoling tone. _

_ “I want you to follow your heart and do what you wanna do, Minju. Because you’re amazing when you do what you're passionate about, and if I have to be honest, I fall a little bit deeper when I see you doing what you love.” _

_ Chaewon dismisses the feeling of heat spreading across her cheeks as she blurbed out something personal. She thought Minju’s spirits needed some lifting and she was more than happy to do or say anything to show her support for her. _

_ But she just felt a slap against her chest courtesy of the girl in her arms, and she just chuckled in return. _

_ “Why are you making me blush, unnie? It’s not helping at all,” Minju said. _

_ “I just like you a lot, Kim Minju,” Chaewon replied. “You have to promise to talk to them, alright?” _

_ Minju nodded against her chest, and replied in a small voice. _

_ “Okay, I will.” _

_ Chaewon smiled, pulling away as she began to steer the conversation into something lighter. _

_ “Anyway, tell me about your day,” she said. _

_ “Oh! The school’s sending us out to write about a regional math competition next week…” _

_ They continued to share their daily lives so far since the last time they met, and without missing a single second, Chaewon watched as the sparkle in Minju’s eyes come back as she talked about her work writing for the school paper. _

_ And, just like any other evening when Chaewon was with Minju, the stars were exceptionally brighter that night. _

_ But she was the only one who knew, and it was better that way. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ "Would you like to come inside?" _

_ Minju stopped dead in her tracks just when she was about to step away from Chaewon’s doorstep. _

_ After their impromptu date, Minju decided to walk Chaewon to her home first instead of the other way around for a change. Chaewon fussed over how it was  _ her _ job to see her girlfriend get home safely, saying how by doing so they’d spend more time, but Minju paid no heed to her. By the time they reached Chaewon’s place however, neither of them wanted to end the night, and with hesitation, they pulled away from each other. _

_ Until Chaewon popped such an unexpected question. _

_ Confusion started coming on her, her eyebrows meeting in the middle as she asked herself if she heard Chaewon’s words right. She looked back up at the older girl only to see her dead serious face lit up in bright red hues all the way to the tip of her ears. _

_ “C-Come again?” Minju asked for clarity. _

_ “I-I…” Chaewon stuttered out. _

_ Why did she even decide to spout things without thinking them through properly? _

_ She took a deep breath and tried again. _

_ “Would you like to come inside, Minju?” _

_ A beat. _

_ And all of a sudden Minju’s own face mirrored that of Chaewon’s, with all the blood rushing to her face and heating it up. _

_ “H-H-Huh?” _

_ Chaewon slapped her own forehead when she saw how flustered Minju was. She then started explaining herself as if she was caught with a heinous crime. _

_ “W-We’re not gonna do anything, I swear! I just thought…” _

_ Chaewon then moved her hands to the back and held them, her eyes immediately darting to the side to avoid looking at Minju as she started fidgeting on her feet like a child admitting something embarrassing. _

_ “...I just thought we’d both like company while sleeping for tonight?” _

_ There was no way possible for Minju to get any redder at that point when Chaewon spoke out her intentions. The lump of muscle in her chest was hammering against its cage and was threatening to break out of it, and she knew the moment she said yes to Chaewon’s proposal it would definitely succeed in escaping out of her body. _

_ But she knew Chaewon's invitation came out of worry for her because of her dilemma with her parents. _

_ She mustered up her remaining courage and answered. _

_ “Are you suggesting a sleep-over, unnie?” Minju managed to croak out without stuttering this time. _

_ Chaewon nodded timidly. _

_ “Yeah… I’m kind of tired of the plushies I’ve been choking to death.” _

_ The thought of Chaewon sleeping with a family of stuffed toys surrounding her was adorable, but in their current situation her focus was on what was gonna happen  _ tonight _. _

_ “Aren’t your parents home?” Minju voiced out a worry. _

_ The older girl shook her head. _

_ “They’re out of town. They won’t come back until tomorrow.” _

_ It was all too much of a coincidence. Minju was sure Chaewon set this up. _

_ “You planned all this, didn’t you?” she asked. _

_ Chaewon broke out into a laugh, relieving some of the nervous tension between the two of them. _

_ “Of course not! I actually just remembered I had the house to myself when you asked about my parents,” the older girl said with a grin. _

_ “But if you don’t want to stay over, then that’s definitely okay. I’ll just have to walk you home instead.” she continued.  _

_ She then moved to hold one of Minju’s hands that she liked so much. _

_ “Let’s go?” _

_ She started leading Minju away from her house’s gate, starting their trip all the way back to the younger girl’s home. _

_ “Wait.” _

_ Before they got any farther, Minju pulled Chaewon’s hand back slightly, effectively making her turn to look at her. _

_ “Yeah?” Chaewon prompted. _

_ Minju took a deep breath and gave Chaewon an answer, shyly smiling at her. _

_ “I would like to take you up on your offer, unnie.” _

_ It took Chaewon a moment of just staring at Minju to realize that she was saying yes to the sleep-over until her brain finally caught up and her whole face lit up as she grinned widely.  _

_ She then led themselves back to her doorstep, going past that and into the house, and finally inside the safety of her room, away from prying eyes. _

_ As soon as Chaewon closed the door to her room and Minju plopped on her bed, she crossed her arms at the younger girl and looked at her sternly. _

_ “Call your mom and tell her you’re staying here for the night,” she said. _

_ Minju raised an eyebrow at the sudden demanding tone. _

_ “Don’t you think she’ll be against this if I tell her? She’ll think I’m skipping my studies,” Minju told her. _

_ “Then we’ll just have to study tonight. Come on, I’ll help you learn your material and you can send a photo of us to her so she won’t think you’re  _ not _ studying.” _

_ Minju just sighed as she slid herself down to the floor to take a seat beside the coffee table in the middle of the floor. _

_ “And here I thought we were gonna have fun tonight…” she muttered under her breath. _

_ “What?” Chaewon asked as she started taking out some reviewers that she used when she was reviewing for the CSAT. _

_ Minju shook her head. “Nothing.” _

_ Just as Chaewon instructed, Minju sent a photo of them studying to her mom so she wouldn’t worry about her. After a few seconds, a reply from her mom came in. _

To: Minju

Make sure to listen to everything she says, Minju-ya. She got into SNU Medicine and we need all the help we can get!

_ Minju, annoyed, furiously texted something back and turned her phone off for the night. _

From: Minju

What is this, Sky Castle? Whatever, we’re studying for the rest of the night so I’m gonna turn my phone off until the morning.

_ She almost threw her phone back into her bag and just went back to writing. _

_ Chaewon didn’t miss this. _

_ “Everything alright?” she asked. _

_ The younger girl nodded her head to dismiss her. _

_ “Yeah, don’t worry about it. Anyway, how did this one go again?” _

_ Chaewon then scooted closer to Minju and taught her for the rest of the night, including the topics that she was yet to cover in her cram school. Over the years of being together with Chaewon, she learned pretty early on that the older girl was an absolute slave driver when it came to studying. There were only a few breaks in between hours of staring at text, figures, and numbers, and she didn’t allow the use of phones. _

_ Minju remembers how her friends who weren’t single used to say how they can never study with their significant others because they never get any work done, and she could only chuckle dryly how it was the complete opposite for her. _

_ Before she knew it, Minju was done with the workbook she needed to do, as well as assignments that weren’t due until the day after. _

_ “...And we’re done!” Chaewon announced. _

_ Minju dropped on the floor and spread herself out in her tiredness. _

_ “God I’m so tired, I think my brain is fried…” _

_ “Good work, Minju,” Chaewon said as she started tidying up the stacks of school-related things on her table. _

_ Minju glanced at the clock on the wall and noticed how late it became. _

_ “How about you, unnie? Don’t you have any homework to do?” _

_ “I already did them before I came to see you,” Chaewon answered with a wink. _

_ Minju couldn’t believe how unreal this woman’s work ethic was. _

_ “Besides, I had to, because the sooner I did them the sooner I can come to you.” _

_ Minju also couldn’t believe how this woman can make her heart beat fast at the drop of a hat. _

_ “Anyway…” _

_ Chaewon looked at Minju mischievously, who was still lying down on the floor. _

_ “Time to have some fun!” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ That night, Chaewon lent Minju some spare pajamas and an oversized hoodie (which Minju secretly, absolutely adored as they had Chaewon’s scent all over them). They went on to watch a marathon of one of the dramas the both of them liked until Chaewon noticed Minju nodding off and decided it was time to sleep.  _

_ At first, the two of them just laid side-by-side, unmoving and silent, as the tension from earlier came back. They were worried that the other would hear their respective hearts, which weren’t particularly keeping calm and quiet in pumping blood. _

_ Besides the constant ticking of the clock on the desk which was somewhat creating an odd duet with the rhythmic beating they hear in their ears, Chaewon’s room was silent, with the occasional honking of horns from the traffic in the distance. The room was dark with the curtains drawn, but a night light illuminated it just enough to bathe it in a warm orange glow. Chaewon’s plushies were bunched up together on top of the headboard instead of in the bed to give space for the human plushie beside her for tonight.  _

_ Five minutes of staring at the ceiling and just breathing felt like a good ten, twenty years, until Chaewon spoke up in a small voice. _

_ “What do you usually do when you’re lying in bed like this?” _

_ Minju contemplated her answer. _

_ “I think about what happened in the day and sort of reflect on it, I guess? It kinda helps me sleep for some reason.” _

_ Minju then glanced at Chaewon beside her. _

_ “But if you want a more honest answer…” _

_ She turned her head fully to look at the older girl, who was still watching the ceiling as if there was something interesting happening on it. _

_ (Minju knows Chaewon was just too shy to look at her then.) _

_ “...I think about you.” _

_ This time, it was Chaewon’s turn to face Minju, her eyes wide at what she heard. _

_ Minju continued, her voice much smaller than before but dripping in affection for the older girl. _

_ “I think about you and how I saw you during the day, thinking that if you were the last person in my mind before I go to sleep I’d still see you in my dreams.” _

_ Chaewon just looked at Minju for a while, hearing herself just breathing for being at a loss as she took a moment to take in the words that made her heart burst into tiny little butterflies.  _

_ She knew Minju really really liked her, but she didn’t know the gravity of the younger’s feelings for her were  _ this _ heavy. It felt like she was drowning in the deepest of trenches but instead of the suffocating cold water where she could see nothing but darkness, she was enveloped in a comforting warmth in complete daylight.  _

_ Chaewon couldn’t see the night sky right now, she was indoors. She also never bothered putting up all those little stickers up in her ceiling that glowed in the dark, she thought the night light was enough.  _

_ But she didn’t mind. She could see the stars at any time of the day anyway. _

_ She didn’t need to go outside, nor did she need to put up glow-in-the-dark stickers up in her ceiling. _

_ All she had to do was look into Minju’s eyes and get lost in them. _

_ Just like now. _

_ Chaewon had to find a way to reciprocate Minju’s feelings at the same magnitude, preferably even greater, but she was never good with words. So instead, she opted to just express herself through her actions, just like how she always does. _

_ “Stop that,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. _

_ She saw Minju’s eyebrows meet in the middle of her forehead. _

_ “Stop what?” _

_ Without answering, Chaewon completely turned to her side and scooted closer to the younger girl. She then moved her arms to hold her, with one arm acting as a pillow as she let Minju rest her head on it while the other wrapped loosely on her waist. _

_ She buried her nose in Minju’s hair and slowly let out a sigh, letting herself feel the heat emanating from the body close to her. _

_ “Stop liking me too much, it’s getting harder to one-up you already.” _

_ Minju snuggled closer to Chaewon as she gave out a breathy chuckle, the tip of her nose touching the skin on Chaewon’s neck. _

_ Sleep was already arriving at Minju, as she was so comfortable in Chaewon’s arms that she felt like she could pass out at any moment. _

_ “We both know I like you more,” she said deciding to fight off sleep to humor the other girl a bit longer. _

_ “Lies,” Chaewon said, giving out a light scoff. “I was the one who asked you out, remember?” _

_ Minju just rolled her eyes at her even if she couldn’t see her. _

_ “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like you then.” _

_ Chaewon pulled away just enough to glare at Minju, a frown on her face.  _

_ “You’re way too competitive, even in these kinds of things,” she said. _

_ “Gee, I wonder who isn’t,” Minju answered with sarcasm in her tone. _

_ It was Chaewon’s turn to chuckle. _

_ “Well, let me just finish this once and for all,” she suddenly said. _

_ Chaewon fell into another while of silence as she gazed upon Minju’s face, trying to memorize every feature of the girl under the low light: how the orange glow bounced off the smooth skin of her cheek, how her bright eyes shone even in the darkness, and how her hair softly fell on itself on her arm and on the pillow.  _

_ She noticed a stray strand across Minju’s face, and so she brought up the arm on her waist to use her hand to gently move the hair away and tuck it behind her ear. _

_ Except Chaewon didn’t move her hand away from behind Minju’s ear. She kept it placed on that spot, her fingers slightly grazing Minju’s cheek. _

_ Eunbi asked her about her feelings for Minju once, and she told her then that they weren’t at that stage to say things that she felt were too overwhelming. _

_ She doesn’t think that way anymore, because she knows now that there was only one word that could describe how she felt for Minju. _

_ And this time, she was sure of it. To the point that she would fall face first again and again for her. _

_ “Minju…” Chaewon said, still staring into Minju’s eyes. _

_ Was it her or did the stars in those brown orbs morph into full galaxies of all the beautiful colors known and unknown to man? _

_ She gulped and said Minju’s name again, filling herself with more conviction. _

_ “Kim Minju,” she repeated. _

_ And before she let the moment get away, Chaewon jumped. _

_ “I love you.” _

_ And suddenly the world was silent. _

_ Chaewon watched as Minju’s half-lidded eyes slowly opened wide as the soft words filled with all of her feelings for the younger girl reached her and nestled into her. She felt her heart slow to a stop, her breathing ceasing right after.  _

_ Her chest felt painful, and there was nothing she wanted to do more than turn around, away from Minju. Even if she was sure that the younger girl felt the same, the seed of doubt still announced its presence in her mind. _

_ But her eyes never left Minju’s. _

_ And just then, Chaewon witnessed the brightest of supernovas explode as tears suddenly made their way out of Minju’s eyes, falling across her cheek in a steady flow until she felt the wetness on the sleeve of her arm that the younger girl was laying her head on. _

_ That was the moment all the air came rushing back into Chaewon’s lungs, and she felt her own tears fall as her heart started beating again. _

_ Her heart that only beat for the younger girl across her currently bawling her eyes out and making a mess on her sheets. _

_ “Why are you crying, silly?” Chaewon said in between sniffles. She raised a hand to try and wipe the tears from Minju’s eyes in vain as Minju kept on crying. _

_ “W-Why are you so unfair, unnie?” Minju said, a sob letting itself out. “You can’t just suddenly say that and expect me to  _ not _ cry!” _

_ Chaewon huffed out and shook her head at the one who held her heart captive. She pulled her in and held her closer, tighter, until she mustered up the courage to do something she never dared to do before, letting her emotions for the girl take over. _

_ She closed her eyes and slowly moved forward, a hand cupping a wet cheek while the other under Minju rose to hold the backside of her head, caressing her hair. She inched closer until she felt her lips ghost over the skin just above the spot in between Minju’s eyebrows. Once she grazed it once, she came in with more contact, placing a firm kiss on her forehead. _

_ She drew back slowly and leaned her own forehead against Minju’s, and as she opened her eyes to gaze softly at her, she told her again how she felt. _

_ “I love you, Kim Minju,” Chaewon said, her voice barely audible. _

_ Minju could barely see anything in the low light of the room along with her tears obstructing her vision, but she still managed to bring the hand on her cheek closer to her lips and gave the pads of Chaewon’s fingers a soft kiss.  _

_ She looked up to see Chaewon’s eyes full of love and uttered the same words, filled with the same feelings. _

_ “I love you, Kim Chaewon.” _

_ The two girls smiled at each other as they held each other closer in the night, eventually lifting each other towards the land of dreams. _

_ This was the first time Minju thought that reality was better than whatever she could dream of. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “I’m pretty sure the recipe said to do it this way…” _

_ “You’re going to make a mess of my mother’s kitchen, I’m sure of it.” _

_ “As if it’s not already a mess…” _

_ “Let’s not make it worse then?” _

_ The ding of a microwave echoed against the walls, and the two girls looked over it. They glanced at each other, until one of them steeled herself, pushing back a lump in her throat. _

_ She opened the microwave and watched how everything inside spilled out, onto the counter and continuing onto the floor. _

_ “...Too late.” _

_ The oldest of them ran a hand on her face at their predicament. _

_ “...Let’s just have cereal.” _

_ “Why didn’t you say that sooner?!” _

_ And they did settle for artificially-flavored corn flakes swimming in milk, along with some toast and a jam they were able to salvage from the deepest corner of the fridge. They also prepared each of their preferred morning beverages: one went for coffee, while the other for hot chocolate. _

_ Just before the older took a sip of her coffee, with the mug already in front of her lips, the younger one called her. _

_ “Unnie.” _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ She looked up from the mug of her hot chocolate, the ceramic front barely covering her smile. _

_ “I love you.” _

_ A beat passed, and both of them looked away from each other as they sipped their drinks, trying to hide the redness of their faces. _

_ They knew, that morning, that even without the help of hot drinks, they were already warm with mutual feelings for each other inside. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ It was spring again. _

_ Spring was always cold in Seoul as the ice that used to cover the city still lingered in the air, but the people knew that they had to get on with their lives, with hopes of new beginnings. _

_ A new semester begins, and as per tradition to all university students of South Korea, wearing school pride in the form of letterman jackets were the norm during the first few days of the new academic year. The streets were flooded with telltale young adults clad in cloths the color of their schools, the logos emblazoned on them along with which department they belonged to. This allowed for everyone to know which school, which class of society they belonged in when it came to the academic community. _

_ A group of friends, all of them decked in black letterman jackets highlighted with white and gold accents, was walking along cobblestone walkways as they marveled at the buildings that reminded them of times that existed centuries ago, effectively making them forget that they were in the middle of an urbanized city that existed in the modern age. _

_ “I can never understand how they were able to manage to keep the whole Old Campus standing even after more than six hundred years,” one of them said. _

_ “We’re social sciences majors, we don’t need to learn about that kinda stuff,” another said. “Besides, math makes my head hurt…” _

_ An audibile scoff was heard. _

_ “Just because we’re not in engineering and architecture doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about how things were built and made to last. That’s just incredibly dumb.” _

_ “Did you just call me dumb?” _

_ “Guys,” the girl in the middle of them piped up, smiling at the banter happening before her. “Break it up. You just met each other literally only a week ago and you’re already at each other’s throats.” _

_ “He started it, Minju!” one of them piped up. _

_ Minju just shook her head at their silliness and took out her phone to check the time. She widened her eyes when she realized what the time was. _

_ “Hey, I have to go,” she said, pocketing her phone. “I kinda have an errand to run.” _

_ Her two friends then nodded at her. _

_ “Closest exit from here is the one by the boulder,” one of them said. “We’re gonna have lunch outside too, so let’s head there together.” _

_ They then started walking towards the said location, watching their surroundings as it transitioned from old Seoul to that of the one they were currently living in: asphalt pavements and tall skyscrapers in the distance.  _

_ Along the way, they met another one of their classmates who were heading towards the opposite direction as them, greeting as they stopped just a few meters from their destination. _

_ “Hey guys,” the boy said, wearing a similar black jacket as the group. “I don’t know if I got it wrong, but I think I saw someone in an SNU jacket by the boulder.” _

_ The group of friends looked at each other in confusion. How in the world was someone from that prestigious (and somehow stuck-up, they thought all SKY schools were pretentious) place end up in their area? _

_ “Should we go bully that person, then?” one of Minju’s friends told her, to which she shook her head at vigorously. _

_ “Come on, let’s just go,” she said. _

_ They went on their way and true enough, they saw someone sitting beside the huge boulder with the name of their university engraved on it. The jacket the person wore was a contrasting shade of dark blue to the black that they were wearing. _

_ At first, Minju was confused as to why someone from SNU was here, although it wasn;t a rare sight. Maybe it was someone waiting for a friend who went to their school, she didn’t know.  _

_ They were about to continue walking and past the person, until Minju recognized who the person was as soon as she got closer. _

_ Her heart jumped in joy at the mere sight of her most favorite woman in her entire life.  _

_ Said woman was on her phone, texting someone with one hand and having her full concentration on it that she didn’t notice her approaching. Minju spotted a white tulip in her hand, and the grin on her widened naturally. _

_ “Chaewon-unnie?” she called. _

_ The woman looked up at the mention of her name, her doe eyes shining as she looked at who called her. Once she saw Minju, smile easily formed on her lips as she stood up to greet her. _

_ “Hey, Minju,” Chaewon said. _

_ Minju silently reveled in the fact that her name sounded so good on Chaewon’s lips. _

_ “What are you doing here?” she asked the older girl. _

_ Chaewon handed her the white tulip as she answered. “I came to pick you up.” _

_ Minju received her flower tenderly and smiled as she placed the soft petals against her lips, taking a whiff of its sweet scent. _

_ It looks like she had another flower to take care of again. _

_ Minju looked back up at the older girl again. _

_ “Why? Where are we going?” _

_ Chaewon looked at her in confusion. _

_ “To get our licenses, of course!” _

_ “They released ours at the same time?” _

_ “Yeah. What a coincidence, right?” _

_ Minju was elated because this meant she gets to go on an impromptu date with Chaewon again. More than that, she could already imagine the many dates they can have as they drive to anywhere. _

_ Her reverie was suddenly stopped when Chaewon asked her to do something. _

_ “Minju, can you turn around for a sec?” _

_ Minju tilted her head questioningly at her, but she still obliged. _

_ Chaewon couldn’t fight the smile that just got bigger. _

_ She read the embroidered words written on the back of Minju’s black letterman jacket slowly, feeling her heart swell as she traced with her eyes every single letter printed on the cloth. _

SUNGKYUNKWAN UNIVERSITY

Department of Journalism and Mass Communication

_ Chaewon sighed in joy and pride as all of the memories that led to Minju attending her dream school played in her mind. _

_ She felt a tear working its way up to her tear ducts, threatening to make an appearance. She wasn’t about to cry right there, in front of other people, so she just did something that effectively made it go away. _

_ Slap! _

_ “Ow!” _

_ Chaewon just slapped Minju’s back with enough force that made the younger girl step forward. _

_ Minju looked back at the older girl, who was now sporting a mischievous smirk, in horror and disbelief. _

_ “What did you do that for?!” _

_ Chaewon just reached up to squeeze one of Minju’s cheeks. _

_ “You made it, Kim Minju!” she said, pulling on the skin of Minju’s face, much to the younger girl’s dismay. _

_ Her expression turned soft all of a sudden, and the hand that was pulling on Minju’s cheek turned into a palm that cupped the same cheek. _

_ Giving Minju a soft smile, she expressed the words her heart wanted to say. _

_ “I’m so proud of you, love.” _

_ Minju felt her heart grow bigger because of Chaewon’s words to her, as well as the loving gaze she gave her.  _

_ Truth be told, she fought with her parents when she told them that she went to Sungkyunkwan to pursue journalism, and their argument took a turn for the worse to the point that Minju chose to live in the dorms of her school even when her house was nearby. _

_ When she stepped a foot inside her chosen university, the anxiety and doubt within her bubbled, almost breaking her. She followed her parents’ wishes all her life, but now that she made a decision for herself without them breathing down her neck, she was now asking herself if she did the right thing. _

_ But when Chaewon texted her on the morning of her first day wishing her good luck, her heavy heart slowly felt lighter. _

_ And now, to actually hear words of affirmation from the woman she loved the most, the one she knew would always support her in whatever she did, she felt like flying. _

_ Without thinking, she pulled Chaewon closer and hugged her tight, burying her nose into her shoulder. _

_ “...Thank you, unnie,” she whispered to her. _

_ Chaewon knew that what the younger girl wanted to say was more than just her gratitude. But she also knew that words could only go so far, especially in their relationship. So she just hugged her back with the same fervor. _

_ The two women stayed in each other’s arms for what felt like only a minute, until someone behind them cleared their throat. They jumped away from each other, just like they always do when someone catches them (which was weird, because they were hugging  _ in public _ when people were bound to see them), and turned to look at the person behind them. _

_ “Uh…” one of Minju’s friends piped up, unsure of what to say. _

_ That’s when it hit Minju. _

_ “Ah, right! Chaewon-unnie, these are my friends Daehwi and Yerim. Daehwi and Yerim, this is Chaewon-unnie, my girlfriend.” _

_ Chaewon gave them a polite smile and bowed at Minju’s friends. _

_ “Nice to meet you, I’m Chaewon.” _

_ The two then bowed back at the older girl, greeting her with enthusiasm. _

_ “Um… Minju, can you come here for a sec?” the girl named Yerim said. _

_ Minju stepped away from Chaewon’s side to come closer to her friend, an inquisitive look on her. _

_ Yerim dipped her head low, a hand over her mouth as she whispered. _

_ “How did you get yourself such a hot girlfriend?!” Yerim asked, eyeing the tulip in Minju’s hand. _

_ Minju blushed as she heard what the other girl said, which she found outrageous. _

_ She gave her a slap on the arm for being unfiltered. _

_ “I-I’ll tell you about it some other time! I have to go now!” _

_ She walked away waving at her two friends, and came back to Chaewon’s side. _

_ “What was that about?” Chaewon asked her. _

_ She just shook her head, moving to hold Chaewon’s hand in hers. _

_ “Nothing you need to know, unnie,” she said, smiling. “Anyway, shall we?” _

_ Chaewon returned her smile with one of her own and laced their fingers together. _

_ “Come on.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Minju didn’t notice the huge bag Chaewon was holding until they got to the office that issued them their licenses. She asked her what it was, and all the older girl said was that it was something to celebrate with as they finally earned the right to drive.  _

_ (“I’ll knick my dad’s car and drive around Seoul like GTA,” Chaewon said, a scary look of determination donned on her. “Will you ride shotgun with me?” _

_ Minju may love the older girl to the moon and back, but this was a whole other level of “ride-or-die” she had no plans to partake in.  _ __  
_  
_ __ “No.”

_ Chaewon scowled at her. _

_ “Fine. You look dumb in your license anyway,” the older girl said in childish retaliation, pertainig to the picture in their license cards.” _

_ Minju chased Chaewon out of the building and almost tackled her to a hug to get back at her.) _

_ When they reached Han River Park, Chaewon let her hand go as she moved to rummage through the bag for something inside. _

_ “Help me with this one, Minju,” the older girl said as she brought out a picnic blanket from inside the bag, much to the younger girl’s surprise. _

_ As she helped her set-up their picnic spot, she can’t help but muse at how creative Chaewon was at their impromptu date.  _

_ (The older girl was always creative when it came to their dates. Minju always had a hard time trying to one-up her on their non-existent scoreboard of good dates. But then, even if they just spent the day in bed watching cheesy films, or even just studying together at the cafe they frequent to, that would already constitute as a date for them.) _

_ “You even came prepared with a bunch of sandwiches,” Minju said. “Where are they from?” _

_ “Subway,” Chaewon winked at her, to which Minju only rolled her eyes at. _

_ As they settled on the blanket together as close as they could be, Chaewon offered Minju a can of Coke as she grabbed her own can of Sprite. She took one of the sandwiches and unwrapped it, then she held it in front of Minju’s mouth, to which the younger enthusiastically took a bite of. _

_ They fell into a familiar rhythm where they acked each other how their day went as they ate with Chaewon going first, telling the younger girl how she almost fainted at the sight of her syllabus for the year. Minju chuckled at her and gave her encouraging words, saying that she will pass and if she needed any help she was always there for her. _

_ Chaewon gave her a nudge as she smiled at Minju, thanking her for the support. _

_ When Chaewon asked how Minju was, she started telling Chaewon how her first week in university went and how everything so far was a new experience. She told Chaewon how her major subjects piqued her interest the most as she could finally learn journalism formally and not just through articles online. She also met new friends, and giggled at the thought of how her first day in university paralleled that of her first day in high school, all those years ago.  _

_ (“Although, I should say friends weren’t the only people I attracted,” Minju said as a side note, taking a bite off her sandwich. “There were people who wanted to start drama as if they didn’t get the memo to leave it in high school. Oh, and there were guys and girls who wanted to get my number.” She eyed Chaewon for a reaction, but the older girl just looked at her with a blank face. _

_ But she knew that it wasn’t really a blank face, as her gaze was so sharp Minju thought it could pierce right through her. _

_ “Do I have to start fetching you from school everyday?” Chaewon asked. _

_ Minju just laughed at her girlfriend’s jealous state.) _

_ Chaewon took note how visibly passionate Minju was when she was telling her stories of her first days in school. The younger girl was smiling all throughout and it was infectious enough to make Chaewon smile as well by just listening. _

_ Chaewon hopes she could spend her days in college with nothing but a smile on her face. _

_ “Speaking of friends, I also met people who are in the same situation as me,” Minju suddenly said. _

_ Chaewon suddenly stopped the hand holding her drink from making its way to her mouth. _

_ She knew where this was going. _

_ “What do you mean?” _

_ Minju stared at the distance, watching a variety of people enjoying their time in the park, whether they were a group of friends, families, or lovers who were out on a stroll. _

_ The smile on her face took a somber accent. _

_ “People who are in journalism even if their parents didn’t want them to.” _

_ Chaewon placed the can on the mat and moved her free hand to hold Minju’, her thumb rubbing circles on her skin. _

_ “I’m a bit scared to ask,” Chaewon started. “But how are you and your parents?” _

_ Minju sighed as her smile got tighter. She placed a hand on top of Chaewon’s and squeezed it as a little reassurance that she was okay. _

_ “We haven’t been talking that much,” she said. “I went home for the weekend last week, and all they kept talking about was dad’s work or whatever was on the news. They never asked how I was in school.” _

_ Chaewon sighed at her predicament. There wasn’t anything else to say in Minju’s current situation, her parents were against her coming to Sungkyunkwan since the start. When they learned that she was already enrolled, they had the biggest fight to the point that Minju ran out of her house crying late at night just to meet Chaewon. _

_ She had never seen the younger girl so broken before. In the empty park where they met, all that was heard were Minju’s sobs, and Chaewon felt useless because all she could offer was a shoulder to cry on. _

_ That night, she made a promise to herself that she will only be the cause of Minju’s smiles, and never her tears. _

_ “But you know, it’s okay,” Minju spoke up after a while of silence. _

_ Chaewon looked up and saw Minju’s smile becoming bright again. _

_ “I think I’ll just have to learn how to support myself even without my parents. It’s a good thing I’m on a scholarship and I live in the dorms, and if I need money I’ll just find a job somewhere.” _

_ Minju looked at Chaewon, nodding more to herself than to her lover as her resolve to pick herself up away from her parents started getting stronger, braver. _

_ “Besides, I have you.” _

_ Minju raised the hand she was holding and pressed a light kiss on her knuckles, never looking away from the older’s eyes. She saw Chaewon inhale sharply when she did so. _

_ “It doesn’t matter if I don’t have anyone else. I know you’ll be beside me every step of the way.” _

_ Minju never told Chaewon this, but she could always see the sun in her eyes. There was so much warmth behind those brown eyes that it countered the hot chocolate she always drinks in the morning. If she had the choice, she’d rather drink in those doe eyes every morning and her day would always start right. Whenever she catches her staring, Chaewon’s eyes had heat that promised her of all the passion she reserved only for her. _

_ The sun was setting behind Chaewon again, and just like every single instance she catches her with the golden light to her back, she saw her as someone too ethereal that she sometimes doubts if her being with the older girl was just her imagination. _

_ Chaewon was the sun personified. _

_ Chaewon was Minju’s sun. _

_ And, just like how all life on earth was with their relationship with the sun, Chaewon gave Minju life. _

_ She wouldn’t come this far if it weren’t for her. _

_ “I love you, unnie,” she whispered to her, hoping that all her emotions were channeled to her declaration of love. _

_ Chaewon just continued to look at the younger girl tenderly, at a loss for words. Minju was always the one better with words in their relationship, and the younger always knew the right words to say that literally knocks the wind out of her lungs. This moment was no exception. _

_ “You do realize when you suddenly say stuff like this I never know what to say, right?” Chaewon said huffing, the blush on her cheeks prominent. _

_ “Mm, that’s okay,” Minju said, putting the hand she kissed on her cheek and leaning into it. “You take care of me even without saying anything, so you don’t have to.” _

_ Minju’s soft smile turned into a teasing beam as she said her next words. _

_ “I know your heart, unnie.” _

_ Chaewon couldn’t help but scoff at her preposterous words and pulled her hand away from her. She just looked ahead and ignored the younger girl, while Minju took this chance to move closer to the older girl and lay her head on her shoulder. _

_ After a few minutes of silence, their eyes laid on the same view of a young couple walking along the path ahead of them, by the rails of the riverside. They saw them stop and lean into the rails with their shoulders touching, talking animatedly.  _

_ Suddenly one of them leaned in and kissed the other on the lips, immediately shutting up whatever they were saying. The couple leaned into their kiss and broke away only centimeters apart, staring lovingly at each other. _

_ Chaewon and Minju both watched the whole scene play in front of them, with neither of them acknowledging it, particularly Chaewon. Her throat suddenly felt dry for some reason, and just as she was taking another gulp from her drink she heard Minju pop a question from beside her. _

_ “Unnie, why have you never kissed me on the lips before?” _

_ Chaewon almost spat her drink out. _

_ She managed to drink down the liquid in her throat, but she ended up in a coughing fit right after with Minju laughing at her state and patting her back to give her comfort. _

_ “W-What are you asking so suddenly?!” _

_ Minju just shrugged at her. _

_ “I mean, I was just curious! I understand if you’re not ready for that yet, but I was just asking.” _

_ Chaewon heaved out a sigh for what seemed like the nth time that day. She knew that Kim Minju was gonna be the death of her someday. _

_ And maybe that day was today. _

_ The weight on her back pocket suddenly grew heavier. _

_ Chaewon cleared her throat and shifted in her seat, facing Minju directly and looking at her straight in the eyes. _

_ She took a deep breath before speaking. _

_ “To answer your question,” she began. “I wanted to wait until you were out of high school before actually… initiating anything.” Chaewon took both of Minju’s hands and fastened her fingers through the younger’s own.  _

_ Minju nodded at her patiently, letting her finish before speaking. _

_ It took a few more seconds for Chaewon to actually say anything again because she was nervous to the point that her heart felt like it was already crawling on its way out of her throat. She didn’t know how to proceed with what she was thinking of doing, but she knew that there was no other perfect time to do it. _

_ So she took a deep breath and moved her hand to take something out of her back pocket. _

_ Chaewon heard Minju audibly gasp and her eyes widened as she saw the white box in her hand. She opened the box and it revealed two silver rings inside, one engraved with a sun and the other engraved with a crescent moon and a single star. _

_ Minju looked up at Chaewon and saw how solemn her eyes became. _

_ “I want to make a promise, Minju-yah,” the older said, taking out the sun ring from the box. She took her right hand and raised it, slipping the ring into the ring finger. _

_ “I promise that I’ll always stay by your side, and whenever, wherever you need me, I’ll come running. This ring is going to remind you of this promise.” _

_ Chaewon took out the moon and star ring from the box and placed it in Minju’s hand. She then held her own right hand at her, smiling up towards her. _

_ “You can put that on mine,” she said. “So I know the only one who I belong to, the only one who I love and who loves me.” _

_ Minju felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she slowly slid the other ring onto Chaewon’s right ring finger. She couldn’t help but feel so elated by all of Chaewon’s words, her actions, her whole being. _

_ “This is a promise from me to you, too,” Minju said. “I promise that I’ll stay by your side as well, and no matter how far we are from each other, no matter how much time we spend apart, you will always be the one in my heart.” _

_ The two of them looked at each other’s eyes and saw how they both held each other in their gazes with tenderness, full of mutual love and adoration for each other. To them, it felt like they were the only ones in the world, and that being with each other was the only thing that mattered. _

_ They could say all they want to say and run out of words in all the languages known to man just to tell each other how much they mean to them, but they know they didn’t need to. All they had to do was look into each other’s eyes, and they will already know. _

_ “I love you, Minju-yah.” _

_ “I love you too, unnie.” _

_ They didn’t know that their faces were already nearing each other, closer until the gap between them fully closed and they could already feel their breaths on their faces, their hooded gazes directed at each other’s lips.  _

_ Until the distance between them ceased to exist, and they felt their lips graze against each other, their surfaces tentatively touching. _

_ And then, they closed their eyes and let their feelings take over, tilting their heads and pushing forward, their lips pressing onto each other in a gentle yet firm kiss. _

_ They slowly felt the oxygen leave their bodies, as everything slowed to a complete halt and the only thing that consumed them was the feeling of having each other close. _

_ They pulled apart for a second to put back air in their lungs, in a state of disbelief as to what just happened, their foreheads leaning against each other. _

_ They opened their eyes, and Chaewon held Minju’s cheeks with both her hands, a thumb grazing the soft skin as she lightly brushed the tip of Minju’s nose with her own. She felt Minju put both of her hands on her waist, clutching her jacket in a fist. _

_ “...Again?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. _

_ She felt the younger girl nod against her, and they closed their eyes again, this time moving in with no hesitation, with more passion. _

_ They kissed again and sighed into each other, the kiss deep enough for them to physically feel the promise they made. It didn’t feel like loud, bright fireworks going up in their minds filling it up wildly, nor did it feel like a crash of emotions overwhelmed them right then and there. Rather, it felt like coming home after a tiring day, a soft blanket to snuggle into in the cold of the night, the sun’s rays in the afternoon glow. _

_ But they have always felt like they found a home in each other since the start, and the kiss was just an affirmation. _

_ To Chaewon, Minju was home. _

_ To Minju, Chaewon was home. _

_ A home will always be nowhere near perfect, and there will always be storms that will challenge its foundations. But they didn’t mind, because they knew their feelings, their  _ love _ for each other was strong to withstand anything that they will face in the future that they will be sharing together. _

_ Together. _

_ That was what mattered the most. _

_ Without realizing it, the two lovers felt themselves smiling into their kiss as they held each other tighter. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: It has been a long, LONG time coming. Thank you for the wait! I went through a lot the past months that writing took a backseat for a while, and I would like to apologize for it. I made sure that I wrote this well so as to compensate for the really long time you guys waited, so hopefully, this would meet your expectations.
> 
> Anyway, I hope I'll be writing a lot more regularly, even if uni kills me skjdks I've got IZ*ONE to keep my mental health stable anyway so I guess I'll be okay? lol
> 
> If you have any questions or you'd just like to scream at me, hit me up on my Twitter @seungchaeng. Thank you again for reading and please look forward to the next chapter!
> 
> P.S. Stream Fiesta


	9. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: abuse, signs of depression, ableist slurs, suicide  
> Grab yourself some water before you start reading

“Chaewon-unnie?!”

What Minju saw was not just the person she was expecting, but also two other people. Hitomi and Nako were carrying a slumped Chaewon, the older girl’s arms on either of them. Worried looks were evident on both of their faces as they addressed Minju.

“Hey, Minju,” Hitomi started. “I’m sorry about suddenly showing up here, but we need to get Chaewon-unnie inside.”

Panic was showing on Minju's face at the sight of Chaewon's limp body, but she managed to move aside to let the other girls take her in. Nako and Hitomi went straight to the couch in the living room and gently put the passed-out Chaewon on it, placing one of the throw pillows under her head.

The two stood back up and watched Chaewon tilt her head away from the overhead light, groaning audibly in her unconscious state. Minju walked to them and stood by Hitomi’s side, her worry for the incapacitated woman growing by the second. She looked at the two other girls in the room, who both held grave expressions.

“What happened?!” Minju almost shouted.

Hitomi gave a sigh. “She’s drunk. She does this all the time, drinking herself to death every month at the bistro until we have to carry her home.”

Minju felt her heart drop at the information given to her. She turned her eyes back to Chaewon, who had her eyes shut tight and her hands in white-knuckled fists.

“When did this start…?” she asked them.

“Since she came here,” Nako said. “Two months ago, I think.”

An iron grip suddenly fastened itself around Minju’s heart, making it almost physically hurt her to breathe. She knew Chaewon was going through things, hell, the older girl even said so herself, but she didn’t expect them to be this grave. 

In all the years they were together, this was the very first time Minju saw Chaewon in so much pain.

“Minju-yah,” Hitomi turned to her. “As much as we don’t want to leave Chaewon-unnie like this, we have to go. We still have to close up the bistro.”

Minju nodded in understanding, her eyes not leaving Chaewon.

“Yeah… yeah, go ahead,” she said, her voice low. “I’ll look after her.”

Minju walked them to the front door, and when the two girls were at the doorstep, Nako held out a hand and gave a pat on Minju’s shoulder.

“You have our number, right? Call us if you need anything,” the young chef said.

Minju just nodded at them, her eyes lost as her mind was left to the girl on the couch. They understood her state, opting to just give her a sad smile.

“Good night, Minju. We’ll come by tomorrow to check on her,” Hitomi said.

Minju bade them good night and closed the door. After taking a few moments to herself, she walked back to the living room, steeling what was left of her worn heart to tend to the drunken woman.

When she returned, she saw Chaewon still unconscious, her chest rising and falling slowly. She saw how the crease in the middle of her forehead never disappeared.

Even in sleep, Chaewon was still in pain. 

Minju gulped as she felt the ache in her chest come back.

Just what was Chaewon holding inside her to be this hurt?

Sighing, she moved to close the lights in the living room, allowing darkness to consume the whole expanse of the house with the only lights coming from the lamps by the swimming pool. She went upstairs to grab a blanket from one of the spare rooms and brought it down, covering Chaewon’s sleeping form with it.

Minju saw Chaewon’s shut eyes relax a bit in the darkness, the absence of blinding light even from behind her eyelids giving them rest. She sat in a spot just above the older girl’s head and just continued to watch her in silence.

Without meaning to, she moved a hand near Chaewon’s face and used the tips of her fingers to gingerly caress the crease on Chaewon’s forehead slowly until it smoothened out. She then moved her fingers to move the stray hair away from her forehead, then proceeded to thread her fingers through her hair gently.

Minju leaned back on the couch, continuing to caress Chaewon’s hair.

All she could think about was the pain Chaewon kept to herself, how she never let anyone know how she truly felt and just kept going with a smile on her face when she was already breaking inside.

Or maybe she was already broken.

Her mind was flooded with thoughts of Chaewon, of how she was from years ago, of how she was just a week ago, and how she is now. Minju couldn’t help but think if what Chaewon had said and did to her was even genuine because, at this point, she doesn’t know anything anymore.

With her head muddled with all of these questions, she felt herself slowly succumbing to sleep, feeling her eyelids dropping as her own breathing mirrored Chaewon’s. 

Minju closed her eyes completely, her hand not moving from its spot from Chaewon’s hair, and once again dreamed of memories of their shared past.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju woke up in the middle of the night, confused at first as to why she wasn’t in her bed.

Then she remembered the events of just hours prior, and she sat up immediately, her eyes darting to the spot where Chaewon was lying down on.

It was empty.

She stood up and whipped her head to look around the dark house for the missing woman, feeling panic starting to bubble inside her again. 

She walked around a bit and saw a figure outside by the pool area, sitting down and leaning against the raised wall of the smaller circular jacuzzi pool by one of the ends of the main pool.

There she was.

Minju allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief for finding her. She walked towards the glass sliding door separating the main house from the pool area, and upon a closer look, she saw Chaewon with her head low, a bottle of makgeolli beside her.

It was the makgeolli they received on their first day.

Minju felt whatever was left of her torn-up heart shatter even more at the sight of Chaewon's defeated frame.

Putting out the hesitation in her bones, she mustered up the courage to finally walk through the glass doors, approaching the girl sitting by herself.

Once she got nearer, she silently gasped at Chaewon’s miserable state: her face void of any expressions, her lifeless eyes staring at nothing, her whole body limp as if overwhelmed by fatigue heavier than the earth’s mass, and her hand weakly clutching the bottle of alcohol beside her. Without noticing Minju’s presence beside her, she slowly took a swig of makgeolli, downing consecutive gulps in one go. She then put it down again, and this time her eyes flitted to the younger woman standing in front of her briefly.

Minju felt her whole being stripped down from the pain of watching Chaewon suffering.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

“U… Unnie…” she croaked out, her voice cracking as her throat constricted from the pain she was feeling inside.

Chaewon just kept her head down.

Minju slowly knelt in front of the older woman, her cheeks hot with tears flowing in a steady stream. She didn’t know when she started crying, nor did it matter.

“Unnie, please.”

She was begging at this point.

She gingerly held out a hand to take the bottle away from Chaewon, who didn’t even try to fight back. Once the bottle was out of her grip, Chaewon’s arm just went limp against the marble flooring of the poolside.

Minju held the same hand with both of hers as she tilted her head down, trying to make eye contact with Chaewon.

“Please,  _ please _ talk to me.”

Despite her hands shaking, she strengthened the grip on the older girl’s hand.

“It’s okay, unnie.”

Silence.

Nothing was heard besides the sound of the night and the surrounding nature.

All Chaewon was giving her recently was silence.

But she was not going to give up. This time, she has to know what Chaewon was feeling if she was to find any way to help her. 

Chaewon can’t be the only one who carries everything on her shoulders.

“Unnie, this can’t go on forever,” she started, her voice becoming firmer, with more conviction. “You can’t go on hurting yourself like this and you know that. So please, let me help you. Even just for a little bit.”

Another few seconds of silence.

Until she heard an almost inaudible sigh from her.

The hand Minju was holding curled into a fist.

“I’m a failure, Minju-yah.”

Chaewon held her head even lower.

“I don’t even think I have the right to face you right now.”

The older girl took a deep breath and exhaled shakily. Minju saw tears fall from her chin and drop onto her lap as she started to cry silently.

“Do you know why I do all these things, why I choose to bury myself in all kinds of work around the island, Minju?”

Chaewon slowly lifted her face and for the first time, looked at Minju. The younger girl could now see clearer her true state.

_ Helpless. _

_ Broken. _

Chaewon sobbed before continuing.

“Because I want to forget.”

Her eyes shifted from looking at Minju into the nothingness in front of her.

“I want to forget that I couldn’t save the things, the people that actually  _ mattered _ , Minju. I want to forget the guilt from all these things I failed to do.”

Chaewon closed her eyes, leaning her head back to the wall.

“I couldn’t save you, Minju.”

Chaewon shook her head.

“And I couldn’t save  _ her _ .”

Minju was right; if she wanted to help herself, she has to slowly open up and allow people in to help her. So now, even if she knew she was reopening wounds she tried desperately to hide and forget, Chaewon brought herself back to the start, the moment from one year ago.

The stream of tears flowed downwards and unrelenting as she allowed herself to replay the reel of memories that led her to how she was right now.

She took another deep breath as she braced herself from the pain that she was revisiting.

“She was fourteen, and I met her last year.”

  
  


\---

  
  


_ Chaewon walked through the front doors of the hospital, a grand yet pristine interior greeting her for today’s work. People who first step inside the majestic hospital would think they were in a hotel, but only privately-owned hospitals give such facades. If she were to be honest with herself, seeing the high ceiling and the over-the-top chandelier hanging in the middle of the lobby already made her sick, especially with the countless times she had seen it already; she was never one for the pretentious, even if the medical field was full of it.  _

_ Walking in while wearing a smart casual attire, she held a cup of coffee in one hand, while her bag hung on the opposite shoulder. She walked past the rows of metal but cushioned benches in the middle of the lobby and greeted the familiar people along the way, whether they were patients she sees from time to time, interns that she handled once, and some of her colleagues. She stopped in the middle of the elevator past the front desk and waited for it to reach her floor. While she waited, she scrolled through her phone, checking emails from recent subscriptions to medical journals as well as important correspondences, and finally, messages from one annoying person who notified her of an extensively-long surgery she had to do a day before. _

_ When Chaewon heard the elevator ding, she got inside it without lifting her eyes from her phone. Only when someone greeted from beside her that she finally took it away from the screen. _

_ “Good morning, Dr. Kim!” _

_ She looked to the side and smiled at the person who called her name. _

_ “Good morning, Nurse Park,” she said, pocketing her phone. _

_ “Are you headed to the ward now, Doctor?” _

_ Chaewon nodded. “Yeah, I thought I should get in early to get a headstart. I heard there’s a lot of people who booked appointments today.” _

_ The nurse nodded, a pout on her. _

_ “Yes and on top of that, unfortunately, the department chairman dumped his share of appointments to you and the rest of the team, Doctor.” _

_ Chaewon closed her eyes and sighed. _

_ “Let me guess, he’s gone again?” _

_ The nurse just gave her a nod. _

_ "He called us from France last night." _

_ Chaewon sighed. _

_ "Anything else I should know?" _

_ "He, um, he says you should cover his rounds while he's gone." _

_ This time, Chaewon huffed out in irritation as she ran a hand over her face. _

_ "That goes without saying…!" _

_ So much for being promoted to vice-chair just last week. Now it became clearer to her that her position didn't give her much opportunities besides covering for her boss's ass. _

_ Chaewon was barely ten minutes into work but she was already sighing her soul out. _

_ This was going to be a long day. _

_ She couldn't wait to get into her scrubs and grab herself another cup of coffee. _

_ The elevator stopped at their floor and opened its doors, giving way to a sight that Chaewon grew accustomed to for several years already. She and the nurse who accompanied her walked through the long white hallway decked with floor to ceiling windows on one side that connected the main hospital building to the wing where they were headed to and passed through the large double doors. _

_ Just like every day when she comes to work, the change in atmosphere from cold and harsh to a warm and humble atmosphere that greeted never ceased to surprise her. _

_ The psychiatric ward was a stark contrast to the rest of the hospital’s interior (save for the pediatrics building): it was painted and decorated in a combination of mellow colors that gave it a homey ambiance, making it seem like they were in a cozy vacation house somewhere away from the city instead of the biggest hospital in the metro. _

_ Chaewon greeted some of the people hanging around the ward’s lobby as she approached the nurse’s station to check the list of patients she needed to include in her regular rounds that her douchebag of a boss left her. After confirming the list, she forwarded the list to her own computer inside her personal clinic in the ward.  _

_ (She also read the email the chairman sent to the nurses, in which he signed with “Send Dr. Kim my best regards in French”. It almost made her puke on the spot, besides the fact that she was confused as to why he didn’t just send it directly to her in the first place instead of making her go through all of the trouble.) _

_ She was about to head to the call room to have a change of clothes when someone, whom she recognized as an intern, suddenly approached the station frantically. _

_ “Doctor…!” _

_ Chaewon didn’t hide her surprise to see the intern strewn apart, almost in a frenzy. She also didn’t miss the dark circles in his eyes, which are telltale signs that, just like any other intern, he was sleep-deprived. _

_ “...Are you okay, Jung-ssi?” she asked, her eyebrows meeting halfway in confusion. _

_ “D-Doctor…” he huffed out in a low voice, wiping his sweaty hands on the pants of his scrubs. “M-My patient… I lost my patient…!” _

_ The whole area around the nurse’s station suddenly fell in a silence as the intern’s words began to sink into them. As it finally registered to them, some of the people sitting around the station almost jumped up, panic beginning to set. _

_ “What do you mean you lost your patient?!” one of the nurses asked in a hushed scream. The people surrounding the station started to huddle around the nurse and speak in the same manner, so as not to let any other patients that were hanging around the area overhear and get alarmed. _

_ “I left him in the art gallery and went to the restroom for a while until one of the in-house psychologists asked me to bring something from the call room saying it was urgent, and when I got back to the gallery he was gone…!” the intern said, who looked like he was about to cry.  _

_ Every other nurse tried to hide their groans at the predicament but almost failed, doing nothing to hide their frustration at him. One of the senior nurses then told them to look for the missing patient discreetly, and if the worst happens, they will issue an alarm. _

_ Chaewon was just overlooking the whole thing quietly, knowing that the nurses will follow protocol properly so they didn’t really need any input from her (even if she  _ did _ have a voice when it came to situations like this, being the vice-chairman of the department and all). She was about to do her part of the searching when she noticed someone outside as she passed by one of the open windows of the ward. _

_ The psych ward had a view of the directly-opposite pediatrics building, and the two buildings were separated by a garden with a small playground used as a common space. Chaewon noticed two people who looked familiar in one of the far walls of the other building, and after realizing who they were, immediately called the attention of the intern. _

_ “I think I found your patient, Jung-ssi,” she said glancing at the back. _

_ The intern, along with a few others, looked at each other in confusion before heading over to the window Chaewon was at. They set their eyes on who Chaewon was looking at and breathed out a sigh of relief. _

_ It was the patient they were looking for, spray-painting the wall of the pediatrics building while being accompanied by who they recognized as his attending doctor. _

_ The intern planted his hands in his face and audibly sighed. _

_ “...It just hit me that I paged his doctor where we were before he arrived… I didn’t know they already met.” _

_ Everybody shook their head at him. They figured the intern was tired beyond the limits of his mind, and if they weren’t careful he might end up being a patient in the ward instead of completing his internship. _

_ “Go to your attending and ask him if he could give you a short break, you’re about to fall apart,” Chaewon said. “If he asks why, tell him I said so.” _

_ The intern looked up at her in surprise, obviously in disbelief.  _

_ “A-Are you sure, Doctor?” _

_ Chaewon just gave him a smile, just before she turned around to walk to her clinic. _

_ “Go before I change my mind.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Chaewon was reviewing the latest journals on her computer while taking notes on one of her notebooks, the television in her clinic blaring the evening news. Her work for the day was long done, which usually meant she would go straight home, but she still had evening rounds to do (courtesy of her absent boss) and some paperwork the hospital higher-ups left her with. _

_ (She silently cursed the chairman who kept on leaving her all the administrative work when he was always the one who goes to international conventions. She was beginning to think she was a secretary to him rather than a second-in-command.) _

_ As her nose was stuck deep into her notes, she didn’t notice the door open and close, a figure coming close to her. _

_ She almost dropped the pen she was using when the figure, a woman in her scrubs, suddenly sat on her lap and hugged her, burying her face into her neck. _

_ Immediately knowing who it was, she just gently placed her arms around her, a hand gently patting on her back. _

_ “There there,” Chaewon cooed albeit with an unamused face, sighing into the hair of the woman who suddenly invaded her personal space. “Rough day?” _

_ The woman silently nodded against her. _

_ Chaewon just continued to pat her back. _

_ “Why did I agree to subject myself to this kind of suffering…” she heard the woman mutter out. _

_ “You’re the only one to blame for that, don’t you think? That’s what you get for being such an overachiever.” _

_ The woman pulled away and pouted at her. _

_ “Mean.” _

_ Chaewon just gave her a playful smile, like that of a teasing child. _

_ To get back at her, the woman gave her a loud smooch on the cheek, to which Chaewon reacted to in disgust. _

_ “Urgh...!” she groaned out, immediately swiping a hand on her cheek to get rid of any leftover drool. _

_ The woman just cackled and got off her, walking towards the mini-fridge from the far end of Chaewon’s clinic and grabbing two cans of Sprite. She walked back to Chaewon and pulled herself a chair from the side, her eyes scanning what was displayed on her monitor. She cocked an eyebrow at what she read. _

_ “Acid as treatment for schiz? Are you sure you should even be reading that?” _

_ Chaewon shook her head in amusement. “I don’t even know why they allowed this to get published. I thought it was gonna be a fun read so I spared some time.” _

_ The woman shook her head as well and opened the two cans of soda, handing Chaewon one to which she said a small thanks. _

_ “Anyway,” Chaewon said, sipping from her soda. “How was your day, Eunbi-unnie?” _

_ Eunbi rolled her eyes and groaned, taking a sip herself. “Two five-hour operations one after the other. I had to get here at seven in the morning to get ready, and only had enough time in-between for a single  _ sandwich _ for lunch.” _

_ Chaewon snorted. _

_ “You carry the whole orthopedics department on your back, at such a young age too,” she kidded. “You think you don’t need surgery yourself for your spine?” _

_ Eunbi slightly pushed the younger doctor with her shoulder. _

_ “Please, if I knew being chairman of the department meant they were gonna dump every VIP case to me then I would have quit a long time ago and just go volunteering.” _

_ “If you did, the hospital would take a blow to its reputation without one of its best doctors,” Chaewon said. “Besides, you can’t leave me here.” _

_ The older woman shrugged and rested her head on one of Chaewon’s shoulder, her eyes absentmindedly focusing on the television. _

_ “Don’t worry, you’re more than enough reason not to leave,” she said. “I love you too much for that.” _

_ Chaewon leaned her cheek on the top of Eunbi’s head, her line of sight shifting towards the television as well. Without meaning to, they both started to watch the news together, unmoving from their position.  _

_ The news anchor announced the next cover story, and suddenly called a name Eunbi didn’t expect to hear. _

_ “...This next story brought to you live by Kim Minju.” _

_ The next thing they knew was they were face-to-face with a person on TV that was too familiar to both of them, particularly to Chaewon. Eunbi glanced back to look at Chaewon’s face, only to see it devoid of any emotion. _

_ “So that’s why this is your favorite news channel,” Eunbi said. “And don’t even start that ‘it’s the most unbiased among them all’ bull.” _

_ Chaewon sighed. _

_ “You make it really hard for me to actually just try to deny it, huh?” she said in a bitter tone. _

_ Eunbi straightened up and looked at Chaewon, an eyebrow raised at her. _

_ “If you’re clearly still so hung up on her, why don’t you actually try and get back together?” Eunbi asked. _

_ Chaewon sighed, tilting her head lower but never letting her eyes leave the girl speaking on TV, the grip on her can of soda becoming a little tighter. _

_ “...It’s not that simple. Besides, and this might sound cheesy, if it’s meant to be, it will be.” _

_ Eunbi just looked at her younger friend, feeling the frustration slowly rise up inside her because of Chaewon’s passiveness. She wanted to hit her head upside and reprimand her on not doing anything, but this was something Chaewon needed to deal by herself. And so, all she could do was quietly resign to her decision, but not without a loud huff. _

_ But she also knew the other, more serious reason as to why Chaewon refused to take action for her feelings. _

_ She was still beating herself up for her and Minju’s break-up all those years ago. She just didn’t want to show it. _

_ But, just like anything else there was to Chaewon, this didn’t get past Eunbi’s eyes. She just chose not to say anything. _

_ Eunbi decided to change the subject, just as the scene on the TV flashed back to the news anchor. _

_ “I heard the nurses say there’s gonna be a new patient coming to your ward,” she said, opening a pack of chips she procured from Chaewon’s secret stash of snacks in one of her desk’s drawers and popping some in her mouth. “They said it’s gonna be another VIP case.” _

_ Chaewon eyed her friend, one of her hands reaching for some chips to munch on as well.  _

_ “Oh, so you flirt with the nurses in  _ my _ ward now? Are the people over at orthopedics that boring?” _

_ Eunbi threw a small piece of a chip at her, to which Chaewon didn’t even bother dodging.  _

_ “You little fuck, who said anything about me flirting with  _ any _ of the nurses?”  _

_ Chaewon just gave her a teasing smile. Eunbi rolled her eyes at her annoying best friend. _

_ “Well, maybe it’s just another charity patient,” Chaewon continued, her tone shifting to that of disgust. “And you know how this hospital treats charity patients, as much as we hate it.” _

_ “Yeah,” Eunbi agreed, sharing the sentiment of repulsion with her. “They take them in because they want a boost to their already-inflated ego.” _

_ Chaewon shook her head. _

_ “Well, there’s only so much we can do about it. But a patient is still a patient, even if they’re unknowing pawns of egotistic bastards who aren’t even supposed to be in healthcare.” _

_ Eunbi chuckled, finding the humor in Chaewon’s sarcastic yet spiteful words. She raised her can to give a toast to the situation they constantly find themselves in as doctors in private practice. _

_ “To us,” she started. “Women who only want to do their jobs properly in a patriarchal system filled with incompetent dicks who roleplay as doctors.” _

_ It was Chaewon’s turn to snicker at Eunbi. Her friend may be head of a whole department now, but there was no denying that even in her current position she was still subjected to biased men. _

_ She gently bumped her own can with Eunbi’s for a gesture of cheers, and both proceeded to drink their soda. _

_ The night continued with them talking about lighter things, their minds going away from the grievances of their work and past relationships. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Chaewon met the patient a few days later, being wheeled into her clinic by one of the nurses. _

_ A quick scan of her chart told her that the girl, fourteen-year-old Shin Hana, sustained injuries from a car crash one year prior that took her parents’ lives and led her to be bound to a wheelchair. Although receiving physical therapy, it wasn’t enough to recover the use of her legs. After getting discharged, Hana was taken in by her aunt and her husband, who only subjected her to verbal and physical abuse. When they were reported to local authorities, she was then placed under social services, who reached out to Chaewon’s hospital for her psychological assessment. _

_ However, everyone in the ward knew the real story behind Hana’s admission. The director of the hospital was a friend of the Minister of Health and Welfare, who personally asked him to admit Hana into their care because he wanted to look good to the public under the pretense of “mental health awareness” in the country. Thus, the director saw to it himself that Hana would be taken care of by the best people the psychiatric department has to offer, which then led to her being placed under Chaewon’s care. _

_ Chaewon was a skilled doctor in her chosen field. After years of practice and constant studying of anything related to mental health, she gained the ability to create a rough diagnosis in her head the moment a patient steps inside her clinic, even if mental illnesses were something that could not be seen directly. _

_ Hana was no different. If anything, it only confirmed the worst for Chaewon, who thought that at that moment, any psychological assessment for the girl was pointless and would be just for formalities. _

_ A closer look at the girl’s body gave her all that she needed to know: physical signs of abuse as well as harm that she inflicted onto herself, limp limbs that showed malnourishment, dark circles under the eyes that suggested loss of sleep. The girl was also significantly smaller for someone who was supposed to be fourteen years of age. Chaewon already went through a lot of patients like her, but she has convinced herself by now that she will never be ready for things like this no matter how many times she encounters them. _

_ She could already feel a piece of her heart falling off. _

_ But she was a doctor, and it was her duty to help every patient to get better even if she was going to die trying.  _

_ And she was going to do the same for the girl in front of her. _

_ She knelt down in front of her, her eyes meeting orbs that had no sliver of emotion in them, and gave her a bright smile. _

_ “Hi, Hana, nice to meet you. I’m Doctor Chaewon, and I’ll be looking after you from now on.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ One year. Chaewon treated Hana for one year. _

_ It was probably the toughest treatment Chaewon had to do, especially since she had to do both Hana’s therapy and prescribing her with the correct medicine. They started just as she expected it, with Chaewon prompting and leading the therapy sessions and the girl being passive, almost unresponsive. After months of intensive sessions, Hana opened up bit by bit, building her trust with Chaewon as she slowly began to engage a lot more, both in conversations as well as with the activities their sessions had. It didn’t take too long until Hana started talking to the nurses and her fellow patients in the ward, becoming friends with most of them. _

_ Chaewon never took Hana off her sight. She had never been as hands-on with a patient before, to the point that she spent more time in the hospital monitoring the girl’s condition than being in her house. She’d like to think it was because it was the most serious case of depression she had ever encountered, and the fact that a girl as young as her was afflicted by it made it worse. That was why she put so much time and effort to, quite literally, nurse her back to health to a point where she could fit right back into society. _

_ She couldn’t deny that there were some points over the year of Hana’s journey to recovery where she thought she was going to lose. As the girl became more coherent, speaking with a clearer mind, there were some instances that she voiced out distinct plans of doing the worst possible. Chaewon, as the dutiful doctor, did her best to dispel any of these thoughts and made sure that the girl never paid any attention to them again. _

_ But she knew it wasn’t just because of the severity of Hana’s condition. Chaewon grew fond of her, becoming attached to her like that of a sister. She wasn’t really one to get attached to patients, or anyone for that matter (Eunbi was the sole exception, at least now), but she couldn’t help but actually be comfortable with Hana especially when she started reciprocating in their conversations, even the ones that were out of their regular therapy sessions. _

_ Hana had already become dear to Chaewon’s heart. _

_ She knew it was dangerous for a doctor to become attached to their patient, but Chaewon couldn’t help it. There was more to Hana than just being a young girl who needed help. She was intelligent, passionate, and had a good heart. Chaewon wanted to be the person who could support the girl especially after being treated unfairly by the cruel world. _

_ That was why when the time came for her to get discharged, Chaewon couldn’t help but feel a little sad for their parting. _

_ As Chaewon stood in front of the hospital after accompanying Hana outside to the entrance along with her caretaker from social services, Hana looked up to her with the brightest of smiles, a complete contrast to how she was a year before. _

_ “I don’t know how to properly express this in words, Doctor,” the young girl started. “But I want to say thank you. Thank you for everything. Thank you for not giving up on me. Just… thank you.” _

_ Chaewon felt tears threatening to make an appearance when she heard Hana’s words of gratitude. She gave her a smile and shook her head. _

_ “I was just doing my job. And you were,  _ are _ , more than worth it, Hana.” _

_ Hana’s smile grew bigger at her words, opening her arms wide for a hug. Chaewon moved in and accepted it. _

_ “You take care, okay? Come visit if you need anything, or even if you just want to,” Chaewon said, feeling the girl nodding against her in response. _

_ They let go of each other and after sharing one more smile, bade each other farewell. Chaewon watched Hana get into the car provided for her, but just before the social worker got inside the car, Chaewon stopped her and told her something. _

_ “Please take care of her.” _

_ The social worker nodded at her with a smile, and finally got into the car. Chaewon then watched the car leave the hospital’s parking area, eventually speeding off into the distance.  _

_ Chaewon didn’t leave the spot where she stood until the car disappeared from sight. _

_ She let go of a deep breath and finally walked back inside, resuming whatever was left of her work for today. _

_ She didn’t know that was the last time she was going to see the young girl. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ The news of Hana’s death came to her as a shock. _

_ She just landed in the airport coming back from an international convention (one of the few she was actually allowed to go to) when her phone rang. When she picked it up, one of the staff from her ward alerted her of the news. _

_ Chaewon felt the world slide into a stop, her ears hearing nothing but white noise as soon as the words hit her. _

_ She couldn’t believe it. No, she  _ refused _ to believe it. The girl who gave her a smile full of hope and joy just a few months before was suddenly… gone. _

_ In a complete state of haste, her body went on autopilot as she went to hail a cab, with her trip on the way to the hospital a complete blur that only came back to focus when she reached her ward with her suitcase still in tow. _

_ “...What the fuck do you mean she’s gone?” she asked the person in the nurse’s station in silent rage. _

_ “D-Doctor…” the staff gulped in nervousness. The whole station suddenly grew quiet as they had never seen Chaewon angry. “The news just reached us as well. We tried to contact you as soon as we could but you were still on the plane when we got notified.” _

_ Chaewon held her head down, heaving deep breaths as she did her hardest to stay calm. One of the nurses grabbed something from one of the small shelves beneath the desks and made her way to Chaewon’s side. _

_ The doctor slowly glanced at the nurse beside her and saw her holding out a small bouquet towards her. _

_ “It’s for you, Doctor,” she said. “She sent this to us a few days ago.” _

_ Chaewon just stared at the bouquet for a few seconds before taking it with shaking hands. She continued to look at it, her mind barely processing anything as the hand gripping the bouquet tightened into a fist. Without realizing it, she slowly raised the bouquet and was about to slap it hard against the desk of the station until she felt a hand hold her wrist, stopping her from doing so. _

_ She looked over to her side and saw Eunbi, the worry clear in her eyes. _

_ “Chaewon,” her older friend said. “Snap out of it.” _

_ As her mind finally caught up to her, Chaewon’s hand went limp in Eunbi’s hold. Eunbi let go of her and continued to look at her in concern. Wordlessly, she stepped closer to Eunbi, leaning her head on her friend’s shoulder. Eunbi then proceeded to wrap her arms around Chaewon tightly, closing her eyes as she leaned her cheek on the side of her head as she felt herself cry for her best friend. _

_ That day, Chaewon’s eyes were filled with tears she couldn’t shed. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ She attended the wake a few days later with Eunbi accompanying her, and she did not expect to see it the way it was. _

_ The funeral hall had lost its sense of solemnity, a complete disrespect to the dead. The hall was filled with people drinking and gambling, making the hall seem like a gambling den instead of a place that housed someone being mourned, if there was any mourning happening at all. The only thing that told Chaewon and Eunbi it was a wake they went to was the people dressed in black, as well as the single funeral wreath standing outside the hall. _

_ Chaewon felt the rage coming back to her at the sight of the hall’s disarray, and before she was able to do anything, Eunbi pulled her away and led themselves to the room where the chief mourners, which were Hana’s supposed relatives, were. _

_ Chaewon heard about them taking custody for the girl again despite being held by authorities. Hana didn’t have any other relatives that could take her in, and due to one of the many flaws in the system, she had to get back to living under the same roof as her abusers. _

_ She didn’t want to think of the worst, but seeing the aunt and her husband not even sitting properly and were just playing cards despite being in the same room as the deceased, the answers Chaewon dreaded to hear wrote themselves in front of her. _

_ Not a single drop of remorse was seen in the two people. _

_ Even Eunbi, who would usually calm Chaewon down, couldn’t help but fume alongside her. _

_ “What…” she muttered as soon she entered the mourning room, feeling herself get angrier by the second. “What do you think you’re  _ doing _?” _

_ “And who might you guys be?” the man in the room asked, his voice reflecting that of irritation. _

_ “I’m Hana’s doctor,” Chaewon said. _

_ “Oh, the one who apparently ‘healed her craziness’,” the aunt said in a mocking tone. “Well guess what, Doc? The little shit was still crazy to the end.” _

_ Chaewon shifted her sight to the woman who spoke, her eyes widening at her words. _

_ “Yeah, you heard right. We didn’t even do anything to her anymore or else we’d get snitched on again, but the psycho bitch still managed to throw herself off a bridge,” she said with a scoff.  _

_ Chaewon had heard enough. _

She relapsed.

She relapsed because of them.

Murderers.

_ She lost all sense of self as the world blurred again, with every sound turning into solid plaque. All that registered into her were the words the woman said, replaying in her mind in a loop she couldn’t turn off. _

_ “Chaewon!” _

_ At the sound of Eunbi calling her name, Chaewon surfaced back to the world. The next thing she knew was the sight of the woman on the ground holding a bruised cheek with her husband beside her, the playing cards scattered across the floor, and the stinging pain on one of the knuckles of her shaking fist. _

_ “You bitch! What the fuck did you just do?!” _

_ “Chaewon, come on. We’re leaving,” Eunbi muttered to her, holding her arm back. _

_ Chaewon was heaving from the action she just did, her chest visibly rising up and falling down as she took in deep breaths. She felt a single punch to the face will never be enough to dispel the rage that was in her, but she knew she couldn’t make any more of a scene. She dropped her fist to her side and turned her head towards the picture of the smiling Hana in the middle of the memorial. _

_ “...At least,” Chaewon said in a low voice. “Let me pay my respects.” _

_ Eunbi quietly let her go, following suit as Chaewon performed her bows for the deceased. The two stood up, and without sparing the relatives a mere glance, much less a bow, Chaewon turned around and left the room, continuing on to exit the funeral hall. _

_ Eunbi drove her back to her place, the whole trip filled with silence as Chaewon refused to talk. When she stopped the car in front of Chaewon’s apartment building, she tenderly held her hand as she looked at her in worry. _

_ “Take care, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow.” _

_ All Chaewon gave her was a nod. She took off her seatbelt and exited the car, making her way up to her house. She reached her front door and stepped inside, the interior of her apartment mostly dark as there were only a few lowlights on.  _

_ She always came back to an empty house since she lives alone, but the silence that welcomed her was more prominent than all the other times she came home. It was a silence that slowly consumed her, only amplifying the grief she was yet to acknowledge. _

_ She made her way to the fridge and upon opening it, she saw a single unopened bottle of soju. She took it out and made her way to the nearest table, opening the bottle as soon as she sat down. Without even getting herself a glass and drinking straight from the bottle, Chaewon felt the cold liquid burn her throat as she took big gulps of the drink. _

_ Her thoughts then came like an invasion, attacking her from every corner of her being and making herself get swallowed by the pain. She started berating herself for being powerless, for allowing Hana to go back to the people that sent her to the hospital in the first place. She should have done something back then,  _ anything _ , so that Hana could still be alive today. _

_ If only she knew. _

_ But there was nothing she could have done. And she hated herself more for it. _

_ Chaewon drowned herself in alcohol and in sorrow that night, replaying scenes with a girl that will only live in her memories from then on. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “We heard what happened at the wake, Doctor Kim. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” _

_ Chaewon just kept her head low in front of the board of directors, not making eye contact with any of them.  _

_ She was called to this meeting after news of Hana’s aunt pressing charges against her for assault reached the hospital. They caused a ruckus and even threatened to let the media know, only to be pacified when one of the board members gave them monetary compensation. _

_ Chaewon only got angry when she heard what happened. She wanted to curse out the hospital for doing something like that instead of throwing those people to jail because of what they did to her patient. But she just didn’t have much energy left to argue, just opting to keep mum unless prompted. _

_ Eunbi was with her in the meeting, being the one who accompanied her that night. _

_ “There’s nothing really left to say,” Chaewon said dryly. “Even if I tell you they deserved that punch, you already bribed them to keep quiet, since you obviously care more about the hospital’s reputation than actually listening to your doctors.” _

_ She noticed Eunbi turning her head sharply at her because of what she said, her eyes wide. She looked at the board member who asked her and didn’t miss the way his nostrils flared up, his whole head red in a mix of humiliation and infuriation. _

_ “If you’re going to be this difficult, Doctor, then we have no choice but to relieve you of your position here in this institution. You’re gonna have to find a new hospital to work in, hopefully with patients whose guardians you won’t make punching bags of.” _

_ Chaewon finally looked up at them, flabbergasted at what the director told her. She was about to respond to them when Eunbi held out a hand to her, speaking up instead. _

_ “Are you sure that’s a wise thing to do, sir?” _

_ All of the people in the room turned to the older doctor. _

_ “If you think that’s right, then by all means, fire Doctor Kim. However, if you believe letting go of one of the best doctors this hospital has is the best course of action, then you can consider me gone as well.” _

_ Chaewon turned her head to look at Eunbi as well, who only donned a calm face. However, she knew that look more than anyone, and could see well past it; Eunbi held a quiet fire of rage in her eyes that were hidden by her serene demeanor to the people who didn’t know her well enough. _

_ “I hope you know what that implies,” Eunbi said. _

_ One of the female board members cocked an eyebrow at Eunbi, challenging her. _

_ “Are you suggesting Kwon Pharmaceuticals will pull out from funding our research sector, Doctor Kwon?” _

_ Eunbi just looked at her pointedly, her silence a response that was already loud enough to be understood well across the room. Hushed whispers were then heard around the board members, arguing amongst themselves. _

_ Chaewon just looked at Eunbi, who refused to return her stare. She felt frustration welling up within her at the situation they were in. _

_ Finally, the head of the board cleared his throat to gain everyone their attention. He looked at the two doctors sternly, engaging in a silent war with Eunbi as he slowly spoke his decision. _

_ “We have decided to not let Doctor Kim Chaewon leave, as she is too much of a valuable asset to our hospital,” he said. “However, we cannot let her get away from her unforgivable actions as well, and therefore will be suspending her from work until further notice.” _

_ The director then redirected his look to Chaewon, who was caught off guard with the decision. _

_ “You should take this time to sort yourself out, Doctor Kim. Take this as advice from a fellow doctor.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Don’t you ever get tired of saving my ass, unnie?” _

_ This was the first thing Chaewon said to Eunbi right after the meeting with the board, when they got back to her clinic. _

_ “What do you mean, Chaewon?” Eunbi asked, a frown forming on her face. _

_ Chaewon huffed. “Time and time again, you get me out of the shit I make for myself. Do you ever get tired?” _

_ Eunbi took a moment before responding, her voice almost shaking as she did. _

_ “...Are  _ you _?” _

_ Chaewon hung her head low. _

_ “I wouldn’t be honest if I said no.” _

_ “...I’m just looking out for you, Chae.” _

_ “Yeah, and I’m grateful for it, I always am. But…”  _

_ Chaewon looked at her this time, and Eunbi saw a look of desperation.  _

_ “But please, unnie. Just leave me alone for a while.” _

_ Eunbi took one hard look at her younger friend, who seemed as if she barely holding herself together. She sighed, making her way towards the door of Chaewon’s clinic, her fingers wrapping around the knob. Just before she exited the room, she asked her one last thing. _

_ “...Is this going to be a repeat of what happened before, Chae?” _

_ Chaewon sighed.  _

_ “No… I just need time alone.” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Is this what you meant by ‘needing time alone’, Chaewon? By locking yourself in your house drinking all the time?!” _

_ She takes another shot without answering. _

_ “Your parents are  _ worried _ Chaewon, and I don’t know what else to say to them anymore. They keep calling me because they can’t reach you.” _

_ She didn’t even bother looking at her. _

_ “Chaewon… Chaewon,  _ please _ , stop this.” _

_ She felt the tears fall again, leaning her head back as she was sitting down at the foot of her bed. _

_ She felt the bottle in her hand being taken away. She heard her sigh as she moved to sit beside her. _

_ “There’s a villa my family owns in an island off the coast of Incheon called Deokjeokdo,” she said. “The place is something you can expect from the province. It’s quiet, filled with nature, and the life there is calm and slow, a complete one-eighty from the life here in Seoul.” _

_ She turned her head slightly towards her, paying more attention to what she was saying. _

_ “You need a break from all of… this, Chaewon,” she said. “And I think going there is gonna do you good.”  _

_ Her friend turned to look at her with a small smile, and she saw the love and care she always gave her since the beginning of their relationship. _

_ “Take all the time you need, Chae. I’ll take care of your parents while you’re away.”  _

_ She felt her heart rip at the seams, and finally let go of the tears, burying her head into her shoulder. She had never been as grateful as now to have her older friend beside her. _

_ Chaewon just allowed herself to cry on Eunbi’s shoulder until she exhausted herself.  _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


“I couldn’t save her when I should have, Minju. I couldn’t do anything to save her. I did nothing, just like before, when I left you,” Chaewon sobbed, her words catching onto themselves in her throat as her tears continued to fall. 

Minju wasn’t able to do anything besides hold her hand, which was now curled up tight enough the knuckles turned white.

“Why…” she began again, shaking her head slowly. “Why do I always do nothing? Why do I always  _ choose _ to do nothing? Why can’t I do  _ anything _ ?”

Minju shook her head at Chaewon. There was only one thing running in her mind when Chaewon continued to blame herself for everything.

_ It wasn’t your fault. _

But her words didn’t make it out of her.

Instead, she pulled Chaewon closer and hugged her, gently pushing Chaewon’s head down to lean on her shoulder as she wrapped an arm around her.

She held the older girl against her, crying silently with her, the only sound heard in the night was Chaewon’s weeping.

The night went on with Minju not letting her go until the sobs quieted down and were replaced by slow but labored breathing. She glanced down at the girl in her arms and noticed that Chaewon cried until she exhausted herself, eventually drifting off to sleep. 

Just how much was Chaewon tired to the point that she could cry herself to sleep?

But she figured, she wasn’t any different at this point.

Minju slowly gathered her in her arms and hoisted her up, princess-carrying Chaewon’s sleeping form back into the house. She made her way to her room with enough difficulty, and once she got inside the dark room, she gently put her down on the bed. She sat down on the bed to watch her sleep, feeling her heart ache the more she thought about Chaewon’s story. She also knew, however, that there was more to her story than what she said tonight, but she would have to talk to her about it when she feels better. 

Minju thought that Chaewon, and her for that matter, couldn’t deal with too much heartbreak in a single night.

She gave the sleeping girl’s hand one more squeeze before moving away. She was about to stand up when she felt a hand catch the end of her shirt, holding it loosely.

Minju glanced back at her and saw Chaewon’s eyes still closed, except her eyebrows furrowed together. She saw her lips slightly move and mutter something out, something that Minju could barely hear.

She thought of removing the hand grasping the fabric of her shirt, but she knew Chaewon, despite being unconscious, needed the company after such a tiring night.

And if she were to be honest to herself, she needed company as well.

Minju sighed before finally shifting closer and gently lying down on the bed beside Chaewon. She laid her head on the pillow with one hand tucked under her chin, her face mere inches away from that of Chaewon’s, whose head was slightly tilted her way.

She started thinking about the last time she was able to look at Chaewon’s sleeping face at such close proximity before they went their separate ways. She allowed her eyes to trace every feature present: from her forehead slightly covered with fringes to the small creased spot where her eyebrows meet, from her long eyelashes to the defined slope of her nose, all the way down to the slightly parted lips.

Minju still found Chaewon to be the most beautiful person she had ever seen. 

Just like what she did earlier, she raised a hand to smoothen out Chaewon’s forehead with her fingers, making the crease disappear. She returned the hand back to lay between them, just beside Chaewon’s.

Minju watched Chaewon sleep until she felt her own breathing even out, her eyelids getting heavier. 

Before she finally allowed herself to drift into sleep, she placed her hand on top of Chaewon’s and curled her fingers around it.

  
  


\---

  
  


The color of the sky was changing from that of black into a light blue shade, signifying the crack of dawn.

Chaewon woke up a few minutes earlier from a dream and has now found herself watching the sleeping Minju beside her. She was taken aback when the first thing she saw was her face in slumber as soon as she opened her eyes, confused as to how it happened. But she ended up discarding the question immediately when she felt a dull throbbing in her head, and just opted to look at her, the blue light from outside the window reflecting on her skin. That was when she sat up, careful enough to not stir her awake, and leaned her back on the headboard.

Minju was so,  _ so  _ beautiful.

But the more she looked at her, the more her heart stung, the pain stronger than the apparent hangover she was having. 

She remembered what happened earlier, how she let her see her vulnerable side in the worst way possible. She never really liked people seeing her in any kind of weak state, not even Eunbi. She knew she was already like that for as long as she could remember, being closed-off even to the people who were important. Even if she needed to tell Minju what happened to her that made her become how she is right now, she still felt angry at herself for showing a side of her that was nothing but a mess.

Sorry.

That was all how she felt for her.

She was always sorry to Minju.

The stinging in her chest is almost unbearable now, and now she felt the tears making a reappearance.

She took a shaky breath as she closed her eyes, trying to relieve herself of the pain she had.

That was when she felt Minju move from beside her, and when she looked over, the younger girl’s eyes slowly fluttered open. She was about to say something when suddenly Minju sat up in haste, her eyes wide and darting around the room as if looking for something. Until she turned her head to the side and saw her.

A beat passed, then Minju gave out a sigh, still looking at Chaewon.

“Unnie…”

Chaewon gave her a small smile.

“Hey,” she said, her voice low and coarse from all the crying she did.

Chaewon watched as Minju’s eyebrows slowly creased again in worry, and she fought the urge to put her fingers on them to make them disappear.

Minju just continued to look at her.

“Sorry you had to see that,” Chaewon said. She moved her eyes away from Minju and looked down, opting to focus on a random spot on the blanket that covered half her body just so she could avoid Minju’s eyes. “You had to see me like… this.”

“What are you talking about…?” Minju asked, her voice hiding frustration.

“You should be the last person to see me in such a state,” Chaewon said 

She saw Minju shake her head slightly from the corner of her eye, and that was when she noticed that the younger girl had her hand in her hold, the fingers clasping her palm firm.

“I should be the one to see you like this,” Minju chided. “Now… and even then.”

Chaewon hardened her gaze at the spot now, feeling another pang in her chest. She gradually let a breath out, turning over her palm that was in Minju’s grasp to hold the younger’s hand properly, lacing their fingers together tightly.

“When… When we broke up,” Chaewon started, slowly unraveling the deepest of her feelings that she hid for such a long time. “There was only one person to blame, and that was me. I knew what I was getting into the moment I decided not to tell you anything. That’s why, without telling anyone, I continued to beat myself up for it, even after years of us not seeing each other. I didn’t realize the guilt was slowly eating me up… or maybe I did. I just chose to ignore it.”

Chaewon pushed a lump down her throat and continued to speak, even when she was reopening old wounds.

“When the girl came and went right in front of me, all without me being able to do a single thing, the grief added more to the guilt I already had. That’s why I’m here on this island, Minju, to get away from everything.”

Minju continued to listen intently, letting Chaewon speak at her own pace. She saw a tear get itself out from the corner of the older girl’s eye, making its way down her cheek slowly.

“I thought that if I kept myself busy by doing everything there is to do here, I wouldn’t have time to think about the past… that I’d be too tired to beat myself up again.

“And then you came.”

Chaewon tightened her grip on Minju’s hand as she forced herself to speak her next words, letting out another shaky breath as it got harder to speak her truth.

“You came, and it all just went back. The memories, the guilt, the pain.”

She closed her eyes, her tears falling steadily again, dropping on the blanket beneath her.

“As much as I tried to hide it, it just hurt so much Minju-yah. It hurt being with you because all I could remember was how much pain I caused you, especially when you told me how much you’ve been through.”

Chaewon took her hand and put it in between both of her hands, squeezing it with her shaking fingers.

“I’m sorry, Minju-yah,” she said in a shaking voice, a sniffle eventually coming out of her. “I’m sorry I didn’t do anything, I’m sorry I didn’t say anything. You didn’t deserve any of the pain you had to endure because of me… All because I was a coward.

“If you leave… If you choose to walk away, then I’ll understand. You don’t have to be a part of this mess, this mess of picking myself back up again.”

As the sun continued to inch upwards in the sky, its light slowly set itself on Chaewon. That was when Minju finally saw how tired and worn out she looked, her heart breaking all over again at the sight.

Minju knew there was still much to resolve between them, but for now, she’ll do everything in her power to give Chaewon the rest that she desperately needs, even just for today.

Without saying a word, Minju pulled Chaewon closer again, just like what she did earlier. She let her head lean on her shoulder, a hand caressing her hair softly as she put her arm around her in a tight hug.

She felt Chaewon chuckle humorlessly against her.

“What’s this for?”

Minju just let her words hang in the air for a while and leaned her cheek on Chaewon’s head.

“I remember…” Minju started. “I remember you liked being held like this when you were tired.”

Despite being hidden in Minju’s shoulder, Chaewon’s face formed a look of surprise when she heard what the younger girl said. 

Another wave of memories came to her, this time of all the instances Minju held her in comfort in the past when they were still together.

Chaewon wasn’t able to hold it in anymore as she felt her heart shatter, her soft whimpers turning into full sobs as she let herself cry harder in Minju’s shoulder, moving her arms to wrap around her waist loosely.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Minju-yah.”

Minju continued to stroke her hair and keep her close, closing her eyes.

“I’m here, unnie. I’m not going anywhere.”

They held each other close as a new day dawned on them, one that promised them that the worst was over, and that their days were going to get better from then on.

  
  


\---

  
  


_ “How’s your track record, Doctor?” _

_ Hana asked her one day when they were out in the garden watching some of the child patients play in the nearby playground while some of the older ones were either conversing with their respective visitors or their doctors. _

_ “Why do you ask?” Chaewon asked back, intrigued by her question. “Though to be honest, I don’t really keep one. I find it unnecessary.” _

_ “You’ve got at least a sense of it, right?” the young girl pushed. _

_ Chaewon smiled at her, finding humor in her curiosity. “Well, if you really need to know… I think it’s pretty good so far, even if I’ve been practicing for a little while. Relatively, at least.” _

_ “Oh,” Hana said, her mouth forming an “o”. “You must have saved a lot of lives already then.” _

_ Chaewon chuckled, shaking her head.  _

_ “Hm, well in my line of work, I don’t really think we save lives. Because, truth be told, we don’t. If anything, we help people save their own lives.” _

_ Hana shifted in her seat, her body slightly turned towards Chaewon that showed her that she had her full attention. _

_ “What do you mean, Doctor?” _

_ Chaewon pouted in thought, contemplating her answer. She watched as a young boy ran across the garden, dragging his dextrose stand with him as a nurse chased after him. _

_ “It’s patients who save their own lives, Hana, not doctors. Tell me, why do you think people go to the doctor in the first place?” _

_ “Hm... Because they need help?” _

_ “Exactly. They know themselves that something is wrong, or at least the people around them do. So they ask for help from the people that they know will be able to help them. _

_ “That’s also why we can’t help people who don’t want to be helped, Hana. We can’t save people who don’t want to be saved.” _

_ They watched as the nurse finally caught up to the boy and reprimanded him, with the boy only giving her a cheeky smile. _

_ “But that doesn’t mean we’re not gonna try.” _

_ Chaewon turned her head to look at the young girl, who continued to stare at her with bright eyes. _

_ “That’s why Hana, I hope you always remember that when things get a little bit rough and you think it’s a situation you can’t get out of, there will always be people willing to help you. Like me. _

_ “Even if it’s just me.” _

_ Chaewon reached out to hold the young girl’s hand with one of hers and pat her head with another.  _

_ Hana smiled up at her, showing a toothy grin as she squeezed Chaewon’s hand back. _

_ “Thank you, Doctor. I just hope that...” _

_ She turned her head to the front to continue looking at the children playing, their chaperones watching over them while engaging in conversations of their own. _

_ “When the time comes a person chose to let go even after everything you’ve done, I hope you don’t blame yourself for it.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The worst is finally over! Congratulations on making it this far. As always, hit me up on Twitter if you have any questions. Thank you for reading!


	10. chapter v

_ Minju stepped inside the unfamiliar hospital building, immediately admiring the vast interior and its regal atmosphere. She already expected it to be grandiose, but she never thought it would be this…  _ big _. She guessed, with how expensive it was to be treated in this hospital, it was supposed to look like this. _

_ Seoul National University Hospital, the premier university-affiliated medical institution in the whole country. _

_ But Minju wasn’t there for a check-up. In fact, the reason why she was in a hospital was completely unrelated to anything about her health. _

_ She was standing in the middle of the lobby checking the time on her watch while holding a shoulder bag on the other hand when someone called her name.  _

_ “Minju-yah!” _

_ Minju looked up and barely had any time to process what was going on when someone tackle-hugged her, squeezing her to death. Her attacker pulled back slightly to look at her, a toothy grin evident on her face. Minju was about to say something when she suddenly felt lips on her own, capturing hers in a deep kiss where she could still feel the smile against her skin. _

_ The person moved away again, the grin coming back as Minju’s head was still held in place by two hands squeezing her cheeks slightly. _

_ “Chaewon-unnie!” Minju said to the person who gave her the unexpected kiss, looking confused but flustered at the same time, her face bright red. _

_ “Sorry, did I make you wait for too long?” Chaewon asked, her hands moving from Minju’s cheeks downwards to her waist. _

_ The younger girl shook her head. “No, I just got here.” Minju then spread her arms open to wrap around Chaewon’s shoulders for a hug. _

_ Chaewon enthusiastically accepted Minju’s hug, her arms crossing themselves around the younger’s waist.  _

_ “You sure you should be hugging me like this? I smell like formaldehyde,” Chaewon mused, just remembering her decision to show up to her lunch date in an outfit of her blue scrubs only topped with a zip hoodie. “We just had class over at the morgue.” _

_ (She thought she could have worn another layer of clothes to go out with, especially with it being autumn already and the days were getting colder. But the lockers the medical students used for changing into scrubs were in another floor, and she wouldn’t want to keep Minju waiting. She guessed she would have to suffer through the cold, then.) _

_ She felt Minju shake her head against her shoulder. “It’s okay, I can still smell your perfume anyway. Even if you smell like death.” _

_ Chaewon snorted at her remark. She pulled her head back to smile in amusement at her girlfriend’s humor, moving in to plant a chaste kiss before finally pulling away. _

_ “Shall we go? I’m actually hungry already,” Chaewon said, moving to Minju’s side and taking her hand in hers. _

_ “Come on, then,” Minju said, pulling themselves towards the exit. “Better not keep the future doctor starving.” _

_ Chaewon just rolled her eyes at her as Minju giggled at her reaction. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “Are you sure you’re heading out in just that?” Minju had asked Chaewon before heading out, eyeing her poor choice of an outfit. _

_ Chaewon just smiled at her, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “You’re enough to keep me warm, Minju-yah,” she said, winking afterwards _

_ Minju scoffed at her and blushed, shaking her head as she shrugged off the leather jacket she was wearing and put it on Chaewon. The older girl chuckled at her (cute) reaction and kissed her on the cheek as a form of thanks. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “You’re almost graduating! You’re gonna be a reporter! A whole journalist! God, I can’t wait.” _

_ Chaewon exclaimed to her in the middle of their conversation while having their meal. They went to one of the popular places near Chaewon’s medical school, opting to eat a simple dosirak with some chicken. They were seated beside each other talking about their recent endeavors in school when the older girl remembered that Minju was already a junior in university. _

_ “Ssh!” Minju said, moving a palm to cover Chaewon’s mouth but the smile on her face didn’t disappear. “Pipe down!” _

_ “Why?” Chaewon asked, moving her face away from Minju’s hand. “Can’t I be excited for my girlfriend? She’s about to achieve her dreams.” _

_ Minju just shook her head as she drank from her can of Coke. “Why are you more excited than me, anyway?” _

_ “Of course! I know what you’ve been through just to get to where you are, you worked so hard for this after all,” Chaewon said. Her voice then turned soft as she spoke her next words. “I also know how much you had to sacrifice for it.” _

_ Minju smiled at her sadly, knowing what she really wanted to say behind those words: her ongoing ordeal with her parents and how she refused to see them for three years already. During her first year in university, she would still go home for the weekend as she still had some sort of respect for her parents, but after another argument over dinner where they told her again their dismay over her choice of studies, she felt it was finally too much to bear. She packed up her things that night and moved completely into the school dormitory, keeping contact with the people she left at home to a bare minimum.  _

_ She sighed as she felt the remaining bitter feelings resurfacing, but chased them away immediately with a shake of her head. Her smile then turned into that of a hopeful one. _

_ “It’s okay. As I said, as long as I have you, I’ll be fine,” she said to the older girl, giving her a kiss on the cheek. _

_ Chaewon gave her her own smile, pink dusting evident on her cheeks.  _

_ “You’re always welcome, Minju-yah.” _

_ Minju scrunched her nose at her in adoration, going back to scoop a spoonful of her lunch. _

_ “But enough about me, let’s talk about you!” she said, continuing the conversation. “You’re gonna be a doctor, unnie! Now  _ that’s _ something to look forward to.” _

_ Chaewon scoffed through her nose just as she finished swallowing her own bite. “Well, if I do everything right, I have two more years left, not including this one.” _

_ “‘If I do everything right’, she says,” Minju said, pulling a face of disbelief. “Unnie, you do  _ everything _ right. Sometimes it’s unbelievable how incredibly talented you are.” _

_ The older girl just sneered at her. “What is this girl even talking about...” _

_ “Why? Is you finally getting that M.D. at the end of your name because of your natural smarts and diligence not enough to be excited about?” _

_ “I-I mean…” Chaewon stuttered, her face turning red again, this time because of the embarrassment she was feeling. “It  _ is _ , but… I’m not really thinking about it that much. All I know is that I have to work hard, that’s all.” _

_ Minju shook her head at her in disapproval. “You can’t downplay your efforts like that when you hype me up so much, unnie!” _

_ “Okay, okay! Sheesh, I think  _ you _ should be the one to pipe down,” Chaewon chastised the younger girl, looking around if they caught the attention of anyone around them. _

_ Minju then nodded, smiling in content.  _

_ Their talk then moved to other things, just like how their conversations usually go, whether these topics were about something mundane such as the weather or something serious such as politics. Minju always found it amazing how she could speak anything that was on her mind to Chaewon, and the older girl always responded well. It was one of the aspects of their relationship that Minju treasured the most, how they could communicate with each other openly. She found it such a blessing how Chaewon was always there to listen to her about everything, to the point that the older girl was always just one call away. _

_ (Relatively, at least. Chaewon was still busy with medical school after all.) _

_ Chaewon time and time again proves to her how much she could rely on her especially in times when she was struggling the most about whatever was going on in her life. Her lover was her pillar of support, and she always felt like she could face anything and even conquer the whole world so long as Chaewon stayed by her side. _

_ That was why, when they were finally back at the hospital just standing in front of the entrance, Minju held Chaewon in a tight embrace, sending all her feelings of gratitude to the older girl without the need for words. She buried her nose in Chaewon’s neck and sighed in comfort for this brief respite, closing her eyes as she declared her love for her. _

_ “I love you, unnie,” Minju whispered against Chaewon’s skin. _

_ Chaewon kissed the younger girl’s temple softly as she responded with the same words. _

_ “I love you too.” _

_ Reluctantly, they pulled away from each other as they still had their respective classes to return to. Chaewon gave Minju’s hand one last squeeze with the promise of another reiteration of their nightly conversations before heading inside the hospital, while Minju watched her retreating back disappear in the crowd inside. _

_ When Chaewon was finally out of sight, Minju gave out a sigh. Not even a minute has passed and she already misses her. _

_ Out of habit, she took a glance at her watch, and her eyes slowly widened when she saw how late it had gotten. Minju broke into a run out of the hospital’s compound and hailed a cab, thinking that she was going to be late to her next if she took the bus back to school, despite it being the cheaper option. _

_ Minju just barely arrived in the lecture hall when the class started, her professor giving her a frown as she ducked her head and made a beeline to her seat. _

_ She didn’t forget to send a glare at her snickering friends beside her when she did. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “That was too much of a close call there earlier, Minju!” Yerim said to her after class, when they moved to an outdoor table to do a few of their papers due within the week. _

_ “Yeah, for something so trivial,” Minju said without moving her eyes away from her computer screen. “I almost got kicked out of class just because I was a minute late, can you believe?” _

_ “Maybe if you got didn’t spend so much time with your girlfriend then you might have arrived here on time,” Daehwi said with a smirk, sifting through papers of printed articles. _

_ Minju finally looked up from what she was typing and frowned at her male friend, her eyebrows meeting each other in the middle. _

_ “I haven’t even seen Chaewon-unnie in about  _ two weeks _ ,” she says, her frown slowly turning into a pout as she thought about her always-busy lover. “Med school is keeping her too much from me.” _

_ Her two friends were surprised to see Minju suddenly sulking. Yerim looked at Daehwi incredulously and gave his arm a light slap, with the boy immediately clearing his throat to apologize to his friend. _

_ “Sorry, Minju,” he said, giving the listless girl beside him a pat on the back. Minju just answered with a sigh. _

_ They returned to doing their respective papers while keeping the conversation going, the topic still on Minju’s relationship with Chaewon. They have been dating for six years now, and both of her friends still find themselves surprised by how steady they were going. _

_ “But the most important question is,” Yerim said, ignoring her work again as she dropped her head low and motioned to her friends with a hand to come closer. Minju and Daehwi paused what they were doing to move their heads closer to Yerim. She then donned a serious face and asked Minju a question. _

_ “Is she good in bed?” _

_ A pause. _

_ It took a whole second for the question to register itself in Minju’s brain, the blood slowly rising in her face as it finally did. Minju was red all the way to the tips of her ears as she slapped Yerim’s arm with one hand, her face covered by the other. _

_ “Yerim…!” Minju exclaimed, her voice muffled by her hand as she looked at her friend in horror. _

_ “What? It’s an honest question,” Yerim said with a cheeky smile despite her shoulder being wildly shaken by the other girl. “Satisfaction is important for couples to last, you know.” _

_ The hand on her shoulder moved from shaking it to slapping it again, this time repeatedly. Daehwi just looked on to the both of them with a smile of his own. _

_ “So? What’s the answer?” _

_ Minju slowly retracted her hand from Yerim and put it down on her lap with the other hand, her eyes shifting to a random spot on their table to focus on as she contemplated on her answer. Her thoughts flew to one of the many nights she spent together with Chaewon when what was supposed to be a night of just innocent cuddling in Chaewon’s bed turned into anything  _ but _.  _

_ Minju remembers the tentative touches, the fleeting movement of fingertips while clothed skin pressed onto clothed skin as they engaged in locked lips, tongues darting inside each other’s mouths, teeth biting lips until they were close to bleeding (or at least until one of them gives a sound coming from the back of their throat that only gave away how much they were enjoying it), kisses traveling all over the expanse of their bodies until covers were shed and all they could think about was each other and their love and how they smothered everything in heat despite the cold of the night. _

_ And that was just  _ one _ night. _

_ If Minju continued to think about all the other nights, she would give herself enough reason to pass out. _

_ So yes, Chaewon was indeed good in bed. _

_ Minju fanned a hand over her face as she felt herself becoming hotter. _

_ Yerim saw Minju’s expression and her grin just grew wider. _

_ “I take that as a yes?” she asked slyly. _

_ Minju just shook her head and blew through her nose before glancing back at her teasing friend. It was her turn to smirk as she finally decided on what answer to give her. _

_ “Sorry,” she said. “But I don’t kiss and tell.” _

_ It was Yerim’s turn to huff. _

_ “Oh, come on!” _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Chaewon looked up at the place she arrived in after checking if she went to the correct address indicated on her phone for who knows how many times already. _

_ A week after meeting Minju, she found herself standing in front of a café not too far from her school. It looked like somewhere college students like her wouldn’t really hang out in; judging from just the exterior of the place, it seemed it catered to middle-aged women, or at least those in their late twenties. She peered over to the window beside the large wooden door to look inside the place and see if the person who wanted to meet her there already arrived. _

_ True enough, they already were. _

_ Chaewon checked her face on the screen of her phone one last time to see if her make-up needed retouching or if her hair didn’t look like a bird’s nest. She barely had time to change out of her scrub suit when she received the sudden text from the person and rushed to make herself look presentable with a white button-down shirt and some black suit pants. She may have met this person a few times already, but she never shook off the nervousness that washes over her when they do. _

_ After one deep breath, she opened the door and stepped inside, the little bell by the top corner of the doorframe ringing. Chaewon made her way to the table where the person she was meeting was already seated at, a cup of what she assumes to be tea in hand. When she reached the table, she cleared her throat, and the person looked up at her. _

_ “Mrs. Kim,” Chaewon greeted curtly with a small bow. _

_ The woman, who she knows more familiarly as the mother of Kim Minju, set her cup down.  _

_ “Chaewon-ssi,” the woman replied to her with a nod of her head, her voice and expression void of any emotion. “Please, have a seat.” _

_ Chaewon did as she was told and sat down on the chair across her. A waitress came by their table to take Chaewon’s order, to which she answered with a request for just a glass of water. The waitress then left and returned a while later with Chaewon’s water, finally leaving the two women alone after. _

_ A silence ensued then, the atmosphere thick with tension that only seemed to affect Chaewon. It wasn’t every day she met her girlfriend’s mom, especially after Minju decided not to have anything to do with her parents anymore. She didn’t know what to expect of this meeting, but she braced herself for the worst. _

_ She knew what, or rather  _ who _ , it was going to be about, however, and it only made her more anxious. _

_ “I wanted to ask how Minju was,” Mrs. Kim said. _

_ Of course it was going to be about Minju. _

_ “I haven’t heard of her since she... left home,” the older woman continued. “Although I’m sure you already know about that.” _

_ If Chaewon didn’t know any better, she would think the woman was hiding venom in her words. Still, she allowed a smile to go along with her answer, despite having her guard up. _

_ “Minju… Minju is doing alright,” Chaewon said. “Her studies are going well.” _

_ She took a sip of her water to help clear her throat; she didn’t even notice it get dry the moment she saw Minju’s mom. However, talking about Minju automatically put a smile on her face no matter how small, the girl just had that much of an effect on Chaewon. _

_ (The mom didn’t fail to notice the smile.) _

_ “Say…” Mrs. Kim continued, looking down on the tea that she was lightly stirring in her cup with a teaspoon. “She’s a junior now, isn’t she? She only has a year left until she graduates.” _

_ “Yes, she does,” Chaewon said, careful not to let the enthusiasm leak out on her voice. “I’m actually quite excited for her, but at the same time… I’m worried.” _

_ Mrs. Kim suddenly let go of the teaspoon she was holding, dropping it with a light clink against the ceramic cup as she looked up at Chaewon. _

_ “Why are you worried for her, Chaewon-ssi?” _

_ Chaewon noticed the change in her tone; if earlier she was hiding the venom laced in it, now the woman was not making any effort to keep it concealed at all. She felt whatever enthusiasm she had for talking about Minju slowly slip away, only to be replaced by wariness for the woman in front of her.  _

_ Minju’s mother always called her name with an honorific, even in the numbered times they met each other. She thought that maybe that was just how she was despite her close relationship with her daughter, but now, she felt how her name was spat out in disgust, honorific or none. _

_ “Do you think you have the right to be worried? After everything that has happened?” Minju’s mother continued her tirade, silently seething. “If you’re ‘worried’, then what more us, her parents? The one who gave birth to her?” _

_ Chaewon stood her ground despite the dryness of her throat coming back. She swallowed down the lump in her throat before speaking her own retort. _

_ “I don’t think I’m able to follow, Ma’am,” she said. _

_ Mrs. Kim scoffed. “She was supposed to be a doctor, our Minju. She would be set in life as nothing but. Not by pursuing a ‘hobby’.” _

_ Chaewon knew this was going to be the subject of their talk. Minju already told her about this, but she still couldn’t help but get shocked at how her mother still clung to archaic ideals without ever considering what her daughter felt, even just for a tiny bit. She started feeling anger well up in her chest, not noticing her eyes shifting into a glare directed at the woman as the hands on her lap, hidden by the table over it, slowly curled into fists. _

_ “Yes… Minju did mention something about you wanting to get her into medicine despite what she wants,” she said.  _

_ “And you just had to run your mouth and tell her to get into something else.” _

_ Chaewon felt confusion at what the woman said. _

_ “What exactly are you trying to say?” she asked her, her voice slowly raising. _

_ Mrs. Kim looked at her directly in the eye, and Chaewon could see how much the woman detested her. _

_ “When Minju enrolled in Sungkyunkwan behind our backs, we knew this wasn’t her own doing. Not when she has been listening to us. No, she only got the idea to do that because of  _ you _. _

_ “ _ You _ were the one behind her decision to go against us.” _

_ The glare in Chaewon’s eyes faded to make way for a look of disbelief. _

_ “If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have left home,” the woman continued. “If it weren’t for you… we would still have a daughter.” _

_ Something snapped in Chaewon. _

_ Did this woman seriously just pin the blame on her? All because they didn’t let Minju pursue her dream? _

_ She felt her body shake with anger as she took a deep breath, trying to contain herself. The glare Chaewon gave the woman was back, more piercing than ever. _

_ “Don’t blame me for your shortcomings as a parent,” she said, her voice low in silent rage. _

SLAP.

_ It took a second for Chaewon to realize what just happened. Only when the pain from her left cheek registered in her senses that she knew what the woman just did. She slowly turned her head back to the front and saw Minju’s mother already standing up from her seat with her arm extended; she reached across the table and slapped Chaewon on the cheek, causing her face to get a swelling red mark. _

_ The people around them ceased whatever they were doing; what was once background noise filled with idle chatter and the sound of silverware against ceramic was reduced to only that of the café’s music when everybody suddenly turned to them. Some of them were staring, asking each other what was going on, others had their hands covering their mouths to hide their gasps. _

_ (Some inconsiderate ones already had their phones out, possibly filming the whole scene.) _

_ “How dare you…” Mrs. Kim said, her voice shaking. “Our Minju stopped coming home because of you and yet… you still have the audacity to say that…!” _

_ Without letting up the searing glare she had on the younger one, Minju’s mother gathered her things and left her payment on the table in the form of a few bills. She stepped away from the table and was about to leave the café when she stopped just beside the still-seated Chaewon to leave her one last piece of her mind. _

_ “If you have any shame left… Leave Minju alone. Give us back our daughter.” _

_ Chaewon heard her heeled footsteps slowly get farther until she heard the bell by the door ring, and finally the woman was gone.  _

_ She stayed in her seat after she was left alone, her eyes downcast and staring at a singular spot on the varnished wood of the table. Her mind was still processing the whole event, feeling the whole world fade out as she continued to stare at the table. It was only when one of the waitresses softly tapped her shoulder and asked her if she was alright that she was broken out of her reverie. _

_ Chaewon immediately stood up and put on a smile then, saying she was fine despite the sting on her left cheek. She bowed to apologize to the waitress for the commotion, and ordered an iced americano to-go as compensation. She went out of the establishment after she got her order and paid, walking far away from the place as possible. _

_ She got on the bus to go back to school as she still had classes in the evening, hoping that none of her classmates would notice the red mark on her face. _

_ Chaewon took a sip of the drink she ordered and slightly grimaced in its bitterness, she doesn’t really like her coffee bitter. Still, she somehow hoped the taste would wash away the pain and confusion she got from her confrontation with Minju’s mother. _

_ She continued on her commute with her thoughts filled with only one girl, already thinking of going to see her after class. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Minju was surprised to see the text from Chaewon asking her to go outside in the late evening.  _

_ She was having a snack run with her roommates in their dorm’s common room, taking a break from doing their respective homework when her phone pinged her of a message from her girlfriend. The confusion was evident on her face as she knew Chaewon usually locked herself in her room to study or pass out as soon as she got home and will just opt to talk to Minju via phone calls, especially on week nights. That was why when she received the message that she was already outside her dorm, she didn’t let a moment go to waste and went straight to her. _

_ She found her standing with her back turned to her as soon as she went outside the dorm’s front door, still in her scrubs. It looked like she went there as soon as her evening classes ended. _

_ “Chae-unnie,” Minju called, making Chaewon turn around at the mention of her name. _

_ The older girl immediately had a bright smile painted on her face at the sight of her lover.  _

_ “Min,” Chaewon said, already moving towards her as Minju’s mere presence attracted her enough. “Sorry for the late notice.” _

_ “No no, it’s alright. I just didn’t expect you to come here,” Minju said, meeting her halfway with her arms already open for an embrace. Chaewon didn’t hesitate and immediately hugged her, her arms encircling the younger’s shoulders as she snuggled her chin against the crook of her neck. Minju was more than happy to accept her hug, wrapping her own arms around Chaewon’s slender waist. _

_ “Anyway, what brings you here?” the younger girl asked. _

_ “Mm, no particular reason,” Chaewon said, slightly shaking her head against Minju. “Just wanted to see you.” _

_ Chaewon didn’t have the heart to tell Minju that she met her mother earlier in the afternoon, earning herself a slap on the cheek by the end of it. She didn’t want the younger girl to worry about her when she already had so much else to bother herself with.  _

_ She pulled away silghtly without disentangling her arms around Minju, the distance just enough to lay her eyes on her lover. Gazing on her girlfriend was more than enough to bring her comfort, chasing away any tiring thoughts that began to cloud her mind. _

_ Minju did the same and looked at Chaewon softly. Her own eyes traced the older girl’s face slowly, until it reached her left cheek and noticed that it was swollen. Her eyebrows furrowed when she saw it, her fingers reaching up to touch it delicately. _

_ “What happened?” Minju asked, worry in her voice. _

_ Chaewon scrunched her nose with a smile, deciding to play it off with a lie. “It’s nothing really, I was so sleepy earlier that I literally tripped and fell flat on my face on the way to my next class,” she said. “The hospital floors are too slippery these days.” _

_ Minju pouted at her. “Take care of yourself, unnie.” _

_ “Why?” Chaewon asked, her smile turning sly. “Are you gonna stop kissing me if my face got even more swollen?” _

_ Minju huffed. “I’d still kiss you even if it deformed to the point that I couldn’t recognize you anymore,” she said with determination.  _

_ “Prove it then,” Chaewon challenged her.  _

_ Minju moved her head to give the red cheek a sound kiss, her lips lingering on the skin a little longer than usual. She moved back and smiled at Chaewon, who was pleasantly surprised at the little remedy Minju gave her. But the older girl didn’t miss this chance to mess with her girlfriend a little more. _

_ “Hm, I can still feel a little bit of pain,” Chaewon said, her lips pressed together as if she were in thought. “I think you need to try again.” _

_ The younger girl scoffed at her obvious attempt of getting another kiss and rolled her eyes. She decided to humor her girlfriend anyways and went in again, her lips puckered and ready to land on Chaewon’s cheek. Just when she was already close enough to the cheek, Chaewon suddenly turned her head sideways to catch Minju’s lips in her own. It was Minju’s turn to be surprised as she didn’t expect Chaewon to kiss her fully.  _

_ Minju pulled away in a blushing mess, retracting a hand from Chaewon’s waist to lightly hit her on the shoulder. _

_ “Hey!” _

_ Chaewon just grinned at her, inwardly patting herself on the back for a job well done. _

_ “You’re so cute, Kim Minju,” she said, raising a hand to pinch and pull on Minju’s cheek. _

_ After teasing her enough, Chaewon brought the other hand up to Minju’s cheeks to cup her cheeks softly as she gazed on her eyes. She found the bright lights of the galaxy behind them again, the ones that only she could see.  _

_ Chaewon wished in her heart that those lights would never dim, and if they did, it wouldn’t be because of her. _

_ She remembered the promise she made to herself all those years ago, when both of them were still in high school and she saw Minju’s smile for the first time, that she would be one of the reasons why she would smile, and that her smiles would never fade. _

_ That was why, when she brought Minju closer again and held her a little tighter, she made another promise to herself that she will never allow anyone or anything to fill Minju’s days with sadness. It doesn’t matter if she was the only one who hurt, it doesn’t matter if she was the only one who had to be strong, so long as Minju can live her life the way she wants, she’ll be okay.  _

_ They were going to be okay. _

_ Along with the tightness of her hug, Chaewon reassured herself that whatever Minju’s mother said to her, she knew the woman was wrong and everything between them wasn’t her fault. She decided that she didn’t need to tell Minju what happened, much less get her involved. She figured that if she kept everything to herself, everything will turn out alright. _

_ It was selfish of her to think this, but she just didn’t want Minju to leave her side. _

_ “I love you, Minju-yah,” she said, her voice small and her eyes closed, hoping that her feelings for the girl in her arms were conveyed in those simple words. _

_ “I love you too, unnie,” Minju replied with the same softness. _

_ They separated when Chaewon kissed the ring on Minju’s finger good night, a promise of calling each other tomorrow exchanged between them. Chaewon walked backwards as she watched Minju get inside her dorm once more, and when the younger girl finally disappeared from sight, she turned around and started going on her way back home. _

_ What Chaewon didn’t notice was that fear already quietly lodged itself in her, and that her heart started getting a little heavier that night. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Chaewon kept up the whole act of not telling Minju anything for a whole year. And during that whole year, she started to entertain the thought that maybe, as Minju’s mother told her spitefully, she  _ was _ in fact the reason why Minju left home. _

_ All these invasive thoughts continued to fill her mind that it started to affect her, along with the stress she has to endure from the pressures of being a medical student. It didn’t help that now that she was in her fifth year, the competition was too cutthroat that sometimes she could barely breathe. With the burdens she had to carry by herself and the heavy amount of schoolwork she had to do, it was only a matter of time that Chaewon found herself almost always tired. _

_ The fact that she was getting berated by her professors and always getting compared to Eunbi didn’t help her condition at all. _

_ (“Is that all you’re good for, Kim?” one of her professors said, one that was notorious for driving students to the brink of exhaustion. She wasn’t able to answer a question from him as she accidentally slipped into spacing out since she pulled an all-nighter for an exam she took earlier in the day. That wasn’t excuse, however. “If you’re only going to be Kwon Eunbi’s lapdog, you might as well play the part properly.”) _

_ This affected her relationship with Minju drastically; what was once a routine of nightly phone calls receded to one that occurred only once or twice a week, and their dates became even scarcer to the point that they usually would just spend their time together in Chaewon’s apartment watching movies in bed. _

_ Minju, the girl who was always kind it was almost criminal, understood their current position. She was already a senior in university so she was at her busiest in her whole college career, and that Chaewon was at the part of medical school life where it would make sense if she suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth. That was why she treasured their fleeting times together as much as possible, because she never knows when they’ll be able to meet again in their hectic lives. _

_ But Chaewon was getting listless. _

_ She was getting all the more frustrated with everything, how it felt like she couldn’t control whatever was going on in her life anymore and she needed a break from it more than ever.  _

_ She needed relief. _

_ She turned to look at Minju seated beside her on the bed with their backs leaning on the wall, her eyes fixated on the movie playing on the television in front of them. The lights of her room were turned off save for a small nightlight in a far corner. _

_ They were having one of their stay-in dates again, with Minju bringing some pizza to Chaewon’s apartment for dinner before they got in bed to start their movie-watching. At some point midway through the film, Chaewon lost her focus on what was going on in it, getting lost again in her thoughts that traced back all the way to her meeting with Minju’s mother. When she did however, she only ended up getting more infuriated as she started feeling negative all over again. _

_ She couldn’t take it anymore. _

_ “Minju,” she called to the girl closely pressed against her, her voice low. _

_ “Hm?” Minju hummed in response, her head tilting slightly towards Chaewon but her eyes still on the television. _

_ Minju caught herself startled when Chaewon suddenly held her neck and landed her lips on hers, pressing herself against her even closer, making sure that the distance between them was nonexistent. Minju closed her eyes and finally forgot whatever they were watching as she felt themselves slide to properly lie down on the mattress, Chaewon’s lips moving with fervor. The older girl just continued to deepen their kiss, sucking Minju’s lips and biting them, her tongue swiping against them after. It wasn’t long until Chaewon raised the heat of their liplocking even more when her tongue gained entrance to Minju’s mouth, sliding against the younger’s own as Minju reached both of her hands to grasp onto Chaewon’s neck, pulling her down even closer. _

_ But even in the heat of passion, Minju could feel it; the roughness and hastiness in Chaewon’s touches. There was something off about the girl tonight, but Minju didn’t know what it was. She needed to talk to her if she wanted to find out. _

_ Only when Chaewon already had her hands slowly crawling under her shirt (Minju tried to hide the shiver that came with the sensation of Chaewon’s cold fingertips against the skin of her abdomen) that she pulled away from their kiss, her lips plump and red from the attention Chaewon gave them. _

_ “U-Unnie, wait,” Minju breathlessly spoke. Chaewon didn’t hear it though, as her lips already moved to her neck as soon as they broke away from Minju’s. “Chaewon-unnie…!” _

_ When Minju finally said her name, Chaewon came to a complete halt, her lips disconnecting from the skin of Minju’s neck as she caught herself. She moved away from Minju in haste, her eyes wide as what she just did began to set in on her. _

_ “M-Minju…” Chaewon said in a whisper. _

_ Minju looked at her in worry, moving a hand from Chaewon’s neck to cup her cheek as she sat up. “Unnie, are you okay?” _

_ Chaewon let out a deep breath as she closed her eyes and composed herself, silently telling herself off for what she just did to Minju. “Y-Yeah… Sorry, I got carried away.” _

_ “Is everything alright, unnie?” Minju asked gently. _

_ “Yeah…” Chaewon said, already moving away from her. “I’m just tired.” _

_ “Are you sure it’s nothing we should talk about?” the younger girl pressed. _

_ Chaewon nodded, forming a small smile. She looked at the movie that was still playing and got the remote to turn off the television. Silence then washed over them, a tension hung in the air as Minju continued to look at Chaewon with the older girl refusing to make eye contact. _

_ “Let’s just go to sleep, Minju,” Chaewon said in finality. “I’ll walk you home first thing in the morning.” _

_ Minju watched her slide back down on the bed, covering herself with the blanket and turning away from her. She sighed, thinking that there was nothing she could do anymore, and followed suit. She moved closer to press against Chaewon’s back, an arm going over the older girl’s waist. She pressed a kiss against Chaewon’s shoulder and bade her good night. _

_ “Good night, unnie,” Minju said. _

_ But it wasn’t going to be a good night for Chaewon, the thoughts slowly eating her away. _

What did I just do?

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Eunbi went inside one of the bars she frequented with a phone pressed to her ear, weaving through tables filled with people to get to a booth by the far side of the place. The voice coming from the phone spoke to her as she continued walking in search of someone.  _

“She hasn’t been talking to me unnie, it’s been weeks. So I was wondering if you saw her. If you did—”

Found her.

_ The person she was searching for was seated alone, with nothing but a glass of alcohol on the table as her companion.  _

“—can you please tell her I called?”

_ Eunbi continued to look at the girl in the booth, already feeling sorry for the girl she was on the phone with. _

_ “Sorry Minju, I haven’t seen her around either. But I’ll be sure to tell you when I do,” Eunbi said. She ended the call after an exchange of goodbyes, noting the disappointment of the younger girl in her voice. Eunbi felt sick to her stomach for lying to Minju when she didn’t do anything. _

_ She walked to the booth and sat beside the girl, who had an empty look and just continued to stare at the barely-touched glass in front of her. Eunbi could already feel the frustration welling up in her the more she continued to watch her. She let out a sigh before speaking to her. _

_ “You should really call her back, you know,” she told the younger woman beside her. _

_ After a few seconds, the woman moved to grab the glass and start sipping on it. _

_ “You two are the last people I want to see or hear right now,” she said. _

_ Eunbi couldn’t help but scoff at the attitude the girl was giving. “What’s gotten into you, Chae? Why aren’t you speaking to Minju?” _

_ Chaewon just continued to drink, feeling the liquid slowly burning her throat.  _

_ “Kim Chaewon,” Eunbi called again to gain her attention, this time sternly. _

_ Chaewon finally put the glass back on top of the table with a slam, curling her hands into fists as she closed her eyes and felt the anger in her. She opened her eyes and without looking at Eunbi, she gave an answer to her question, glaring at whatever was in front of her. _

_ “I’m breaking up with her.” _

_ A beat passed as the shock Eunbi felt reflected on her face. _

_ “What…?” _

_ Chaewon still refused to look at her. _

_ “I’m breaking up with Minju.” _

_ “Chaewon,” Eunbi said, her voice low as she tried to keep herself composed. “Don’t be fucking stupid.” _

_ It was Chaewon’s turn to scoff, gritting her teeth as she finally turned to Eunbi. _

_ “‘Stupid’? Is that what this is?” she told her. “Are you gonna start telling me off again, just like what you’ve been doing for, what, more than ten years now?” _

_ “What in the world do you mean?” Eunbi said, her eyebrows furrowed at the girl. She didn’t know where this sudden outburst came from. “What does this have to do with you breaking up with Minju?” _

_ “Shut up!” Chaewon said, her voice raising. “It’s not like I didn’t think this through, but here you are telling me that this is stupid. You’ve been on my ass since we were  _ kids _ , for fuck’s sake! I’m sick and tired of following whatever you say only to be compared to you all the time! Even the professors at school tell me that I’m nothing but your lapdog! _

_ “Let me decide for myself just this once!” _

_ Eunbi was at a loss for words. Chaewon never told her what was going on in school; they haven’t been talking as of late since they were both busy, especially now that she was doing her internship. They may be going to the same hospital, but they never come across each other because of having different schedules. That was why everything that was coming out of Chaewon’s mouth was a first for her. _

_ Chaewon let out a shaky breath, finally reaching the end of her outburst. She closed her eyes as she told Eunbi something that hurt her best friend the most. _

_ “Stop… Stop patronizing me. We aren’t even related.” _

_ Eunbi suddenly felt like she couldn’t breathe. _

_ Over the course of their friendship, it was always unavoidable that either of them would do or say something that would hurt each other; it came with every kind of relationship, especially with one as close as theirs. But all the time, whether it was intentional or not, Chaewon would always say sorry and she would forgive her, as she never had the heart to to not accept Chaewon again. The younger girl was too big a part of her life for her to chase away. _

_ But this was too much. If what Chaewon did in the past was just needles that pricked her heart, the words she just heard were daggers that went straight through it. _

_ “Take that back…” Eunbi whispered, already feeling the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. _

_ Chaewon said nothing, standing up to grab her bag and leave the bar, not even bothering to finish her drink. _

_ She left Eunbi sitting alone in the booth, not looking back as she stepped her foot outside and into the cold night. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ The night before her confrontation with Eunbi, Chaewon laid down on her bed in the darkness and had realizations about herself, what was going on in her life, and her relationship with Minju. _

_ Ever since she was a child, she was never one to tell anyone about her troubles. Her parents, and Eunbi for that matter, just had to develop a sixth sense of some sort to know if there was anything that was bothering her or not. Although she tells them what was on her mind sometimes, these instances were not frequent and never delved deep into her feelings. It takes a great amount of strength for her just to take out a single word coming from the depths of herself, so she didn’t really like doing it. _

_ (The same thing happened when she confessed to Minju, all those years ago. She remembered how she actually cried just to tell the younger girl she liked her.) _

_ There was also another reason why she was reluctant to broadcast her feelings to other people, and that was because she didn’t want to bother them. Knowing that others were already occupied with all the other things they needed to think about, Chaewon figured that if she kept to herself she wouldn’t take up their time and woudn’t make them deal with whatever baggage she will make them carry at the end. _

_ This was how she was with Minju. _

_ She began to look back on their relationship; one that was filled with happy times that not a single fight happened, and was built on dishonesty which ran for almost seven years. _

_ She knew that somehow, it was her fault that she made a bubble for them that made it seem like there was nothing wrong, all because of her refusal to talk about her feelings with her. Minju already had a lot on her plate with her conflict with her parents and all, that was why she decided not to tell her anything so the younger girl wouldn’t have worries upon worries. But now she realizes that this manufactured bubble was about to pop and blow things over, especially when she was now catching herself treating Minju as some sort of escape from her own dilemmas, whether internal or external, instead of someone she was supposed to take care of. _

_ All because she didn’t want Minju to leave her. All because she was being selfish. _

_ Chaewon knows that her grip on herself and Minju was getting too tight, and she had to let go.  _

_ Minju doesn’t deserve any of this. She deserves more. _

_ Chaewon closed her eyes that night and forced herself to a slumber that was nowhere near peaceful, finally reaching a decision she was yet to know if she will deeply regret or not. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ “What?” _

_ Minju stared at the girl beside her on the bench, who just had a blank expression on her face as she looked at the river in front of them, her hands in the pockets of her coat. _

_ After a month of no contact, Chaewon and Minju found themselves in an isolated bench by the Han riverside. It was evening already, the sun had sunk a long time ago along with the leaves that fell that day because of the autumn season, and the park was eerily empty that night. They were able to have the place for themselves, but after a long while of just sitting beside each other with nothing but silence between them, Chaewon suddenly told her something that made her heart drop. _

_ “Let’s break up.” _

_ Minju felt the whole world stop with only those three words. _

_ A month without speaking to each other, and this was what Chaewon first says to her. _

_ Why? _

_ “Why?” Minju asked, her throat getting dry as she felt her chest tighten. “Where is this coming from, unnie?” _

_ “Everything,” Chaewon said, still not looking at her. “Everything has been so suffocating. School, Eunbi-unnie, the people around me. _

_ “Even you, Minju.” _

_ A wind blew through them, forcing Minju to hide a shiver as she continued to stare at Chaewon. With the empty look donned on the older’s face and how withdrawn she was being, Minju almost couldn’t recognize her, the girl she spent seven years with. _

_ Autumn was fading into winter, but the night was abnormally cold. _

_ So did the way Chaewon was treating her right now. _

_ “You can feel it yourself,” the older girl continued. “I don’t hold you the way I used to hold you anymore. I don’t touch you the way I used to touch you anymore. Because I’m tired, and I can’t feel anything anymore. _

_ “I don’t love you anymore, Minju.” _

_ Lies. _

_ Chaewon could feel herself reeling, the bile in her threatening to rise; she knew what she just said was a lie. But she was willing to tell a million more if she could push Minju away for her own sake. _

_ But Minju saw right through her. _

_ “I don’t understand,” she said. Chaewon saw her head shaking slightly from the corner of her eye. “This isn’t you, unnie.” _

_ Chaewon looked down on her lap, and she could already imagine the spots her tears would make if she cried at that moment. Only she didn’t. _

_ “I’m sorry. I can’t be with you anymore.” _

_ She stood up to leave, only for the younger girl to stand up after. That was when Chaewon chanced a glance over at her, and she felt her own heart breaking because of what she saw.  _

_ Minju’s eyes were filled with confusion, sorrow, and the tears that were already falling in streams along both of her cheeks. But what really drove the final nail to the coffin that was Chaewon’s heart was that they were void of the light that she could always see instantly when she looks at them. _

_ The stars in Minju’s eyes did not only dim, it completely blacked out. _

_ And it was all her doing. _

_ “Is this it?” Minju asked. The desperation in her shaking voice could be heard clearly; she could barely speak anymore because of the pain in her chest getting stronger, the iron grip on her heart getting tighter. “Is this how it’s going to end? Without me being able to say a single thing?” _

_ Chaewon looked away. _

_ “Answer me, Kim Chaewon-unnie…!” _

_ She can’t falter now. _

_ “...Goodbye, Kim Minju.” _

_ Chaewon turned around and finally walked away, not sparing another glance at the girl she left behind who was crying her heart out, all the while holding her own tears back. _

_ Both of them were still wearing their rings in their right ring finger that night. _

  
  


_ \--- _

  
  


_ Eunbi was spending her evening going through her medical books when she was suddenly disturbed by the sound of the doorbell. She didn’t know who it was, she wasn’t really expecting anyone that night. Maybe it was a delivery guy who got the wrong address. _

_ She stood up from her desk and walked to the intercom. She pressed a button on it and as soon as the screen showed who was at the door, she rushed to open it. _

_ “Chaewon…?” _

_ The girl standing in front of her had her head low, but Eunbi could still see her tear-stricken cheeks. Her chest was heaving as she looked like she was already crying on the way to her doorstep, and her shoulders, as slumped as they already were, were rising with every sob that she let out. _

_ “E-Eunbi-unnie…” Chaewon choked out, barely able to let a sound out as she was too much in pain. _

_ Eunbi moved closer and held the younger girl’s shoulders, worry taking over her whole being. “Chaewon-ah, what happened?”  _

_ “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” the younger girl said, sniffing. “I’m so sorry for everything I said, unnie. You didn’t deserve any of it. I’m sorry.” _

_ It didn’t take long for Eunbi to start crying as well; one of the things she hated the most was seeing Chaewon cry. But she never thought she would live to see the day that Chaewon would be this broken. _

_ The older girl pulled her in and closed the door behind her, immediately wrapping Chaewon’s shaking body tight. Chaewon moved her arms to wrap them around Eunbi as well, letting her head fall to her shoulder as her sobs grew louder. Eunbi felt the younger’s knees buckle, pressing more of her weight down her shorter frame. She couldn’t support the both of them with everything that they were currently feeling, so she slowly set themselves on the floor, leaning on the wall nearby.  _

_ “I broke up with her, unnie,” Chaewon said, a heave coming after. “I broke up with Minju.” _

_ Eunbi felt shock as she didn’t actually think Chaewon would pull through with it. Chaewon would have to tell her her reasons, but for now, her best friend needed comfort more than anything else. _

_ And that was what she gave her. Hell, she was more than willing to give her everything in the world and carry it with her if she said so. _

_ Eunbi began stroking Chaewon’s head as she continued to cry in the crook of her neck, her sobs muffled against her already wet skin. _

_ “Please, please unnie,” Chaewon said. “Please let me stay here with you. I can’t... I don’t want to be alone tonight.” _

_ “It’s okay, Chaewon-ah,” Eunbi said, her own voice shaking. She kissed Chaewon’s hair and leaned her head against hers. “It’s gonna be okay.” _

_ The two stayed in each others arms, continuing to fill the night with their tears and the sound of their cries. _


	11. Chapter 6

Yena was seated alone at one of the booths in Feathers during lunchtime, her table filled with cleared plates that she set aside to make way for her laptop. The place was filled with the usual chatter from the bistro’s patrons as well as the music that played through the speakers, providing enough background noise for her to concentrate on writing the first few scenes of her screenplay. After typing out a few more lines, she leaned back on her seat and looked at her work so far, her eyebrows naturally creasing and her lips forming a pout as she was lost in thought, thinking of how to proceed with the story. She leaned back closer and was about to continue typing when she felt someone come to the side of her table and poured coffee on the empty cup beside her.

“Here’s the refill for your coffee, as requested!”

“Thanks,” she said, but immediately stopped herself at the sound of the familiar voice. She looked away from the screen of her laptop and shifted her eyes to the side, her mouth popping open to an “o” as she saw who the person beside her was.

“Oh, it’s you, Yuri!” Yena said.

“Yena-unnie!” Yuri said, her face mirroring the same expression Yena was wearing on hers. “I didn’t know it was you. You had your face hidden behind your laptop.”

Yena could already feel the blush coming up her cheeks. She cleared her throat and smiled at the younger girl, trying to push it down while hiding the glee she felt at the sight of her. 

“Yeah, uh… I was just trying to get a headstart on my film. A-Anyway,” she motioned for Yuri to sit down in front of her before asking her a question. “I didn’t know you also worked here as a waitress!”

Yuri mentioned a small “thanks” before taking a seat across Yena. “Yep! I help around when I’m not singing. For a place that’s always packed you’d think they’d have enough servers.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” Yena said, agreeing with a small nod of her head. She glanced at the expanse of the bistro and thought how the place never had a quiet day even on their relatively slow ones.

“Anyway, aren’t you supposed to be with Minju today?” she heard Yuri ask her.

Yena turned her attention back at Yuri and sighed. “Yeah, we actually planned on meeting here for lunch yesterday. I don’t know what happened, though. I mean, that kid didn’t even bother to tell me that she had no plans of showing up!”

Yuri chuckled at her small outburst, making Yena blush even more at the thought that she was the reason why Yuri laughed. She then saw the younger girl shift her eyes away, having a distant look in them.    
  


“Well… Maybe she has her reasons,” Yuri said.

The look in Yuri’s eyes didn’t escape Yena, which suggested that maybe the girl sitting across her knew more than what she let on. She decided not to pry, however. She was about to say something else when she saw Hitomi approaching their table.

“Yuri, there you are!” Hitomi said, putting a hand on Yuri’s shoulder once she reached their table, with the two other girls looking up at her. “I’ve been looking for you. Oh, and hey Yena-unnie.”

Yena raised her hand to wave at her and gave her a smile. “Hey, Hitomi, what’s up?”

“I was just about to ask Yuri for a favor,” Hitomi started. She turned back to Yuri and began talking to her. “Listen, Yuri-yah. I and Nako told Chaewon-unnie last night that we’ll be dropping by the villa today to give her this,” she said, her hand raising a large paper bag. “But we remembered that we actually have a huge reservation today that we needed to prepare for so we can’t really leave. Do you think you can send this up to her instead? You can bring Yena-unnie along with you if you’d like.”

Yuri’s eyebrows met in the middle of her forehead as she regarded Hitomi questioningly, meanwhile, Yena choked on air when she heard what the Japanese girl said. “If we actually have a big day today, wouldn’t you need me here?” Yuri asked.

Hitomi shook her head at the question. “Not really, we just need you to sing for tonight,” she said. She then regarded both girls and smiled. “So how about it?”

Yena saw how Yuri didn’t think about it too much and stood up from her seat, smiling at Hitomi as she nodded her head. 

“Alright, you got it,” Yuri said, taking the bag from the other girl. She then turned towards Yena who was still seated and directed her smile at her. “Should we get going, unnie?”

Yena, getting flustered all of a sudden from Yuri’s smile, scrambled at getting up from the table and immediately gathering her things. After closing her laptop and stashing it away inside its bag, she slung it over one of her shoulders along with a small camera bag she always has on her and returned Yuri’s smile with her own. 

She couldn’t believe herself and how much she was whipped for a girl she just met.

“Let’s go?” she asked Yuri.

Hitomi chuckled as she watched the two. “Don’t forget about my request and suddenly go on a date, you two.”

The two girls couldn’t help but blush at Hitomi’s statement. Yena felt like she was at her limit already, using both of her hands to fan her hot cheeks.

“W-Who said anything about going on a date, anyway…?!” Yuri said. “Anyway, let’s go, Yena-unnie!”

Yuri took Yena’s hand and started walking away from the table together with her. Hitomi grinned at them and shouted a “take care!” just before the pair stepped out of the establishment, with Yena barely remembering to pay for her meal.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju felt daylight hit her closed eyelids as she slowly rose up to consciousness from her slumber. It didn’t take a while for her to open her eyes, blinking a few times to let her eyes adjust to the brightness of the room. The first thing her eyes laid upon was the pale gray ceiling with the square light panel in the middle of it. It was the same view she had the first time she woke up in the house, and she was even about to think that she was in her own room, but the faint scent of mint masked by the scent of alcohol coming from beside her let her know that she wasn’t.

She slowly turned her head sideways, her eyes laying on the sight of the girl still sleeping beside her.

Chaewon had her eyes closed and her lips slightly parted as her breaths were evened out, her chest rising and falling according to every breath she took. She was still in yesterday’s clothes, thus her smelling like alcohol; with all the events that happened the previous night, Minju knew that having a change of clothes before passing out was the last thing on her mind.

Her mind then wandered to everything that happened last night. She knew Chaewon had similar reasons for why she came to the island, but she didn’t know that hearing about them first-hand from the girl herself was more heartbreaking than what she expected. Minju felt her heart ache again, with her mood becoming damp as a result. She secretly hoped that Chaewon found a little bit of peace in her dreams after falling asleep last night, especially after everything she has been through.

She continued to watch Chaewon as she saw the girl stir awake, her eyebrows creasing as her eyes fluttered open. Minju saw how Chaewon’s brown eyes came into focus and looked straight at hers, pausing for a split second before the older girl turned away and sat up. Minju followed suit and sat up as well, continuing to look at Chaewon as she put a hand on her face and slowly massaged her temples.

It looked like the hangover finally kicked in for her.

“What time is it…?” Minju heard Chaewon mutter, her voice still coarse. 

She looked at the clock on the nightstand and read the time. “A little past noon.”

“Shit,” Chaewon said. “I was supposed to go to the market in the morning.”

The older girl was about to get out of bed in haste when Minju reached out to hold her wrist. Chaewon looked back at her with a confused look.

“No, don’t,” the younger girl said. “You need to rest.”

“But—”

“Unnie,” she called again, her voice becoming sterner as she shook her head at her. “Stay here in bed some more or something, you’re not going out today.”

Chaewon looked even more confused when she heard that. “I’m not?”

“No.”

The two held each others’ eyes for a while, engaging in a staring contest. Chaewon was the first to look away, closing her eyes and sighing. 

“Okay,” she mumbled as she went back to massaging her temples. “I don’t think I’ll be able to do much with a headache like this, anyway.”

Minju gave herself a pat on the back inwardly when she heard her say that, allowing herself to feel proud at her small triumph over Chaewon’s hardheadedness.

“Alright, take a good long shower before heading down,” she said, swinging her legs over at the edge of the bed and standing up. “I’ll go fix a meal for us now.”

She walked to the door of the room and opened it, but just before she made her exit, she turned back to Chaewon still sitting on the bed with her head in her hand and smiled at the sight.

“This is the part where I’m supposed to greet you a ‘good morning’, but it’s not really morning anymore and it’s kinda awkward to say ‘good afternoon’ so… Hi, I guess?”

Chaewon then looked up at her, moving her head away from her hand. She returned the smile Minju gave her and greeted her back. 

“Hello, Minju.”

She watched Minju’s small smile turn into a grin, showing her white teeth the looked like they caught the sun’s rays in them by how bright they were. Chaewon couldn’t help but feel a little bit elated at the sight.

“Hello, Chaewon-unnie,” Minju greeted back. She then proceeded to step outside the room, closing the door behind her.

The smile on Chaewon’s face didn’t disappear even after Minju left, and despite her headache, she allowed herself to dwell on the warm feeling that bloomed in her chest after their small exchange. It was a feeling that she didn’t have in a while, and it was definitely not coming from the heat of the sun that reached her through the glass windows.

She knew it was because of Minju.

But the smile didn’t last for long as she felt pain pierce through her skull, making her put a hand on her head again, eliciting a low groan from her. That was when she noticed that she was still in yesterday’s clothes, reeking of the alcohol that she consumed the night before, which only added more to the pain she was feeling.

She decided that she might as well follow Minju’s advice of taking a pleasurable shower to help ease the hammering on her skull.

She got up from the bed and slowly waddled through the carpeted floor and towards the bathroom, already thinking of making a long-overdue call later.

  
  


\---

  
  


Chaewon slowly walked down the stairs, finally feeling refreshed after her shower and a much-needed change of clothes, and saw Minju’s animatedly moving across the kitchen with her back facing her. She noticed the kitchen island where they usually have their meals was already filled with various dishes, with two bowls of rice already placed across each other.

(She also noticed the other girl had her own change of clothes and had her hair tied in a low ponytail. It looked like Minju had to wash herself up too, especially after having to take care of the mess that was herself from last night.)

A sense of déjà vu washed over her then; Chaewon was suddenly brought back to their first morning together, only that their places were reversed. She smiled inwardly at the thought as she sat down by the island. At that moment, Minju turned around, holding two cups that had steam visibly rising from them. 

“This…” Minju said, reaching over one of the cups, which was filled with coffee, towards Chaewon. “...is yours. And this,” she continued, raising the other cup which the other girl assumed to be filled with hot chocolate. “Is mine.”

Chaewon couldn’t help but giggle at her dialogue, which was an obvious echo of what she herself told her then, in the same exact place. She felt herself getting amused at how far they have come even when she knows their reunion happened only a few weeks ago. 

“Thank you,” Chaewon said, taking the cup from her. She sipped the brown liquid and let it wash over her tongue. She gave a small sigh at the taste of the drink, the tips of her lips tugging upwards; Minju still knew how to prepare her coffee just the way she liked it. She looked up at the younger girl and gave her a smile.

“I’ve been having a weird sense of déjà vu as soon as I came down, and this just drove it home,” she said.

Minju gave out her own chuckle, shrugging her shoulders afterward while she took her seat across her. They each said their thanks and picked up their respective spoons to begin eating. They took a few bites of their food before Minju popped Chaewon a question.

“How are you feeling, by the way?”

“Hm,” Chaewon hummed in thought right after gulping down her food. “Besides the fact that my head is feeling like it got ran over by a truck, I feel relatively fine. The shower helped a lot, so I have to thank you for that.”   
  


Minju gave a light scoff at Chaewon’s tone. She cocked her eyebrow at her and smirked. “Ah, right. I almost forgot your sass multiplies by tenfold when you’re hungover. It somehow always surprises me ever since.”

Chaewon groaned and lightly shook her head. “I can’t believe you still remember,” she said. Memories from years back surfaced in her mind then, of how Minju came to her rescue whenever her class would go out to have one too many drinks to reward themselves after exams and stayed with her overnight to take care of her.

“How could I forget?” she heard Minju tell her, her voice dipping lower as she said her next words. “I remember a lot of things from when we were still dating, Chaewon-unnie.”

The older girl then gave her another smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She looked down and moved her spoon again to give herself another bite of her food.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Chaewon muttered just enough for Minju to hear.

They suddenly fell into a silence as they ate, the atmosphere between them getting filled up with the same tension and awkwardness they felt the first time they met again. It felt like they were back to square one, and this only made the worries to resurface in Minju’s mind. She couldn’t help but think that Chaewon might leave after their meal because they wouldn’t have anything to do by the time they finish eating. She started thinking of ways to keep the older girl inside the house because at the back of her mind she somehow knew that she would run out the first chance she gets just so she could do whatever the island needed her to do.

Without thinking about it, Minju placed her spoon down on the polished granite of the kitchen island and mumbled something out.

“You’re not…”

Chaewon heard her, however, looking up at the girl across her.

“You’re not gonna go out again, are you?” Minju asked, hesitation in her voice.

The older girl across her took a pause from eating to look at her, their eyes meeting again. Just like earlier, Chaewon looked away again, resuming to eat her meal.

“No, I won’t,” Chaewon answered, her hands moving again. “Why?”

“Just… making sure,” Minju said. 

Chaewon swallowed a bite of her food and took a sip of her coffee before speaking again.

“You made it clear that I needed rest,” she said. “And as I said, I won’t be able to do much with a headache if I go out.”

For some reason, the tone of Chaewon’s passive answer irked Minju. She knew the older girl had the choice to still leave, all she had to do was some painkillers and she would be on her way. Minju had the feeling Chaewon was doing it for her, and she honestly didn’t know what to feel about that if it was true. She looked down and picked up her spoon again to focus back on eating, the sound of her own silverware against the plate resuming.

“You’re the doctor here, not me,” Minju muttered.

Chaewon raised her cup to her lips, giving a reply absentmindedly just before taking another sip of her coffee.

“Even doctors need second opinions, Min.”

And then there was silence.

The two women stopped dead in whatever they were doing as the sound of the last word Chaewon spoke out hung in the air, both of their eyes slowly widening as what just happened registered in their minds. They both looked at each other again, surprise evident on their faces. 

Minju didn’t miss how Chaewon’s cheeks gradually tinted themselves rosy, the hue extending upwards to the tips of her ears.

Chaewon audibly sighed, setting her cup down and looking away.

“...Sorry,” she said. “I slipped. I shouldn’t have called you that.”

Minju huffed out loud, feeling her frustrations coming back.

(She ignored the sliver of excitement in her heart when she heard Chaewon say her old nickname again.)

“You suffered from a drunk breakdown last night, and now a hangover, and  _ that’s _ what you’re worried about?” she asked her. 

Chaewon stayed silent. Minju knew the older girl was already slapping herself inside her mind. She sighed, shaking her head.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You can call me by that nickname... 

“Chae-unnie.”

Minju watched as Chaewon’s doe eyes glistened when she heard her call her by her nickname. She huffed quietly after a second, closed her eyes, and cleared her throat. She silently continued eating as if she wasn’t affected by it, but Minju knew it was the exact opposite.

(Chaewon’s ears were visibly burning at this point, and the younger girl knew she wasn’t the only one who liked being called by old nicknames.)

“So… you’ll be staying home today?” Minju asked once more.

“Yeah,” Chaewon replied, flashing Minju a small smile while slightly nodding her head.

Minju couldn’t help but smile at the older girl’s answer as well, trying to hide the feeling of elation as she mirrored Chaewon and went back to her meal. As they continued eating in silence that was more comfortable than the former, she also figured that since Chaewon wasn’t going anywhere, the opportunity to talk about the truth of their past finally came up. That topic, no matter how dreaded, was the one that needed to be resolved the most. 

Minju was about to tell this to Chaewon as they finished their meal when the doorbell rang, and she offered to open the door even when Chaewon was already standing up from her seat.

She looked at the intercom and was surprised to see who it was, her steps towards the front door hastening to open it for their visitors.

“Minju-yah!” one of them greeted her as soon as she opened the door.

“Hey Yuri, Yena-unnie,” Minju greeted back with a grin. “Come in.”

Yuri gave her a hug as she stepped inside the house, her eyes already sweeping the expanse of the house in awe.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been here, but it’s always so amazing to look at,” Yuri said. She then turned back to Minju and asked her where Chaewon was. Minju told her she was by the kitchen and the other girl immediately walked away, but not without a chirp “thanks”.

Minju then felt the other visitor step to her side, and when she looked at her, she saw that she was completely baffled at the mansion’s interior compared to Yuri’s pleasant surprise.

“This place is freaking  _ huge _ ,” Yena said, her jaw loose. She then whipped her head to Minju. “This is where you’ve been staying?! This house looks more expensive than both our salaries combined! How’d you even end up here?”

Minju shrugged, finding Yena’s expressions amusing. “Yeah, well… It’s a long story.”

“Well I’m unemployed now, so I have all the time in the world.”

The younger girl laughed and shook her head at Yena’s comeback. She then noticed the paper bag she was holding and held a finger up to point it, asking what it was.

“Oh, this?” Yena answered, holding it up. “Nako and Hitomi made it, they told us to send it up here.”

Minju then led Yena to the kitchen to place the bag there. They noticed that Chaewon and Yuri moved to sit on the couch in the middle of the living room, engrossed in their own conversation. After hoisting up the bag on top of the kitchen counter, Yena turned around and the two friends looked at the woman Yuri was talking to.

“Well,” she heard Minju speak, her eyes not moving from the sight in front of them. “I’ll tell you about it when we meet up later. For now… I have someone to take care of.”

“Is that the ex you were talking about?” Yena said, her voice low to avoid getting overheard. Minju nodded from beside her. 

“I mean, you stood up on our lunch date earlier for her, so I guess it really must be important,” Yena continued.

Minju scoffed, shaking her head at what Yena said. Yena just chuckled at her reaction. The older girl then resumed her talking.

“Have you guys talked?”

Minju pursed her lips in thought. “We, uh… talked… a bit… last night,” she said ambiguously. “There’s still so much to cover, though.”

“No kidding,” Yena said. 

“Anyway,” Minju said dismissively. “What about you? How’s it going between you and Yuri?”

“Oh, it’s going!” Yena answered.

Minju cocked an eyebrow at her. “Really?”

“...No,” Yena answered dejectedly as she visibly deflated.

“Do you actually have plans to, you know…?” Minju asked again, this time hinting at something that Yena already knew what.

“I-I’ll get to that soon!” Yena said, her cheeks getting dusted pink in embarrassment. “I still have to find the right timing.”

“Well, good luck with that,” Minju said. Suddenly an idea struck her, turning her head towards Yena and smiling at her slyly. “Do you need help with it, though?”

Yena looked at her in confusion. “What?”

Minju then pulled on Yena’s hand, bringing her to the two women on the couch. She then cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Chaewon-unnie,” she said, the doctor already looking at her. She then proceeded to make introductions for the Yena and Chaewon. “This is Choi Yena-unnie, she’s my closest friend from work. She quit her job from the news agency after… what happened, and now she’s here on vacation.”

Minju then turned to Yena. “Yena-unnie, this is Kim Chaewon-unnie. She’s also a friend, and she’s been taking care of me since I got here.”

The two eldest then gave each other a small bow and a handshake, smiling afterward.

“Hey, I’m Yena,” Yena said. “I’m older by the way, but you can just call me ‘unnie’.”

“Oh, Yena-unnie then,” Chaewon said. “Nice to meet you, I’m Chaewon.”

“Anyway…” Minju continued, turning to Yuri. “Say, Yuri. Yena-unnie here said she hasn’t seen the island yet, so I was wondering if you’re free to show her around.”

“Huh?” Yena said, looking at Minju. “Hey what do you mean—”

She suddenly felt her hand get squeezed in secret by the younger girl, prompting her to stop what she was about to say.

“I would’ve been the one to come with her, but as you can see, I’m currently preoccupied with someone else,” Minju said, a lilt in her voice. 

She didn’t miss Chaewon raising an eyebrow at her from the corner of her eye.

“Hm,” Yuri started. “I have the rest of the afternoon free, so might as well right?”

Minju then gave Yena a wink. The older girl found her ridiculous at the moment and was about to throw a fit at her when Yuri stood up from the couch and moved to stand beside her, taking her hand in hers. 

“We should probably go, Yena-unnie,” Yuri said. “Wouldn’t want to keep these two lovebirds from each other, right?”

Everybody in the room sans Yuri suddenly felt themselves stop, a dead silence following after. Yuri was the only one among them who didn’t know of Chaewon and Minju’s past relationship, so she had no idea why the other three grew quiet, turning her head to look at them.

“What is it? Did I say something wrong?” she said, frowning.

Yena pulled on the younger girl and whispered something to her. “C-Come on, I’ll tell you once we get out of here.”

“Bye, Yuri,” Chaewon said. “Don’t enjoy yourself too much.”

Yuri scoffed at Chaewon and gave out a whine just before she turned around to exit.

“Unnie!”

The two then said their goodbyes to Chaewon on Minju with a wave of their hands, proceeding to the door and finally heading out.

Another silence ensued, this time more prominent because of the absence of the other two girls that just left. Minju refused to look at Chaewon at the moment, with how the air around them shifted into awkwardness again after what Yuri said. She placed a hand on her nape and rubbed on it, letting out a sigh before hearing Chaewon say something.

“Well, that was awkward.”

“It sure was,” Minju said, letting out a dry chuckle. She walked towards the first-aid kit in the kitchen and took some pills from the pack of painkillers as well as a glass of water. She then returned and handed them over to Chaewon, who smiled at her while giving her her gratitude.

“Also, what did you mean by ‘enjoy yourself’?” Minju asked.

“Hm, well,” Chaewon said just after popping the pills into her mouth and downing her water. “Yuri wants to keep it a secret for now, so I can’t tell you.”

Minju shrugged at Chaewon’s vague answer and decided not to push it. The two became quiet again, not knowing what to say next. Minju didn’t know how to tell Chaewon that they needed to talk, and if she was honest, the thought of finally sitting down with her scared her. 

So she did the next natural thing to do: attempt to escape the situation.

“I’ll go and wash the dishes,” she announced.

She just took a step towards the kitchen when Chaewon called for her.

“Minju, wait.”

The younger girl turned around to look at Chaewon, who was still sitting on the couch.

“I think… I think that could wait,” the older girl said. “I know we still have something to talk about.”

So much for attempting.

It almost scared Minju to know that Chaewon was thinking about the same exact thing as she was.

Minju nodded quietly and sat down on the couch beside Chaewon, still refusing to look at the older girl. She took a deep breath before finally speaking.

“I guess it’s okay to talk about it now, huh,” she said quietly. She felt her throat become drier all of a sudden, making it hurt a bit when she pushed down the lump in it. The whole air around them was solemn, almost too silent that if she raised her voice and spoke up any further everything will shatter. 

Everything, including the strange relationship they built up over the past weeks that they met again.

Still, she steeled herself and finally asked Chaewon the question that was five years overdue. They both knew they owed each other that much.

“Back then… what happened?” Minju started, her voice becoming almost inaudibly soft. “Why did you break up with me, unnie?”

Chaewon closed her eyes briefly and took in a deep breath herself. When she opened her eyes again, Minju noticed her eyes becoming distant, almost as if she forced herself to become detached to everything.

(Minju knew Chaewon did that to avoid getting herself hurt, but she also knew the older girl always cares too much to actually do.)

Chaewon finally spoke.

“A year before we broke up… your mother asked me to meet her without telling you.”

Minju slowly turned to face Chaewon, her eyes showing the surprise she felt when she heard what she just said.

“She told me…” Chaewon gulped, feeling her own throat dry up the way it did when she met Minju’s mother all those years ago. Just recalling the event was enough to make her feel tense all over, completely like how she was back then. “She told me I was the reason you were in journalism, that I was the one who took you away from them. 

“That they lost a daughter because of me.”

Chaewon looked down on her hands folded on her lap, her eyes directed in a random spot on them but her sight unfocused. She allowed herself to slowly lift the veil of suppression from the memories she tried her hardest to forget for five years, only to no avail.

She continued.

“At first I didn't want to believe her, you know? I knew that I had nothing to do with you guys fighting, and it would have been easy to deflect it and get you involved, but I didn’t. I thought that you didn't need to worry about it anymore because you already had a lot of things going on at the time. So I kept it to myself and never told you anything.”

Minju continued to look at Chaewon while listening to her story, not knowing the upset already bubbling up within her, only manifesting in her hands curling into fists on her lap.

“I tried to keep my mind off of it, but it just kept on coming back to haunt me. It wasn't long until it was all that I could think about. That maybe I really was the reason why you weren't talking to them because I was keeping you from them. That the reason why you thought it was okay for you to not have anything to do with them anymore was that you had me.

“The more I thought about this, the more I realized that I wanted to keep you for myself. That deep inside me, I was glad you weren't talking to your parents because that meant you chose me over them. Maybe that was also the reason why I never spoke to you about it because I thought... if I did, you would leave me.

“And I didn't want that to happen.”

If it was even more possible, Chaewon held her head even lower, a low and dry chuckle coming out from her mouth, one void of any humor. 

Chaewon was laughing at herself out of spite, out of self-pity, as a way to berate herself for the things that she did in the past.

She was barely keeping herself from falling apart at that point.

“Do you hear just how wrong that sounds, Minju-yah? Who in their right mind would keep someone away from their loved ones if you knew the problems between them were mendable?”

She let the question linger in the air, not really expecting an answer from the girl beside her. She released a shaky breath and closed her eyes again, shutting it tight as if she didn’t want even just a sliver of light through.

“But the more I tried to keep things under control, to keep things in its happy but fake state, the more I lost myself. I ended up getting frustrated, desperate, until everything blew over to the point that I almost dragged you down with me. So before I hurt you any further, I chose to end things.

“I know it wasn't the best way to do things, but I wanted to push you away as fast as possible.”

She paused.

“I was the one who broke up with you, but…” Chaewon shook her head, her voice just above a whisper. “Until now, I regret everything.”

Chaewon then paused as she reached the end of her story, feeling more dejected than ever. She noticed the silence between them continue as Minju wasn’t saying anything, so she took the risk to slowly look at the other girl.

What she saw only made her heart break even more.

Minju was looking straight at her while breathing heavily, her eyes large and filled with all the pent up anger and frustration that she must have been keeping for all these years. Before Chaewon could say a word the younger girl stood up and walked a short distance away from the couch, from where Chaewon was.

Minju closed her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep herself from coming apart at the seams. 

But she failed.

She couldn’t help but completely burst as soon as she turned to face Chaewon again.

“Why didn’t you tell me...?!” she told her, her feelings reflected in the tone of her voice. “I could have…  _ We _ could have done something...!”

“I’m sorry,” came a whisper.

Minju huffed out when she heard Chaewon’s answer, looking away from her again as she harshly swiped a hand on the tear that managed to trickle down her cheek.

“Seven years... Seven years down the drain, all because you didn't tell me anything! Do you hear how absolutely stupid that sounds, unnie?! 

“I would've been okay with everything, unnie. I would've been okay with sharing that burden with you because it was my problem to begin with. I would've been okay with you leaning on me because that's what I did to you, and that's what I would've wanted  _ you  _ to do.”

She shook her head in disbelief, letting out a scoff. Her voice dropped lower, finally feeling herself calm down, but the feeling of contempt was still present.

“How did we even last that long...?”

She slowly looked back at Chaewon, and she noticed that she had her eyes closed, the tears already falling down the length of both of her cheeks. 

“I’m sorry…” Chaewon said in a whisper, her voice shaking. “I know… I know I should have told you.”

Minju looked down and took another breath. She willed herself to go sit beside Chaewon again, even when she was the one that made Minju pick up the pieces of her heart that shattered inside of her all over again. 

“It's time lost forever... and there's no way we can take it back,” she said to her. “But... I still can't help but feel that it was such a waste.”

The room was quiet again, only Chaewon’s quiet sobs were heard as Minju felt her own tears fall. The younger girl took a moment to gather herself first before speaking to Chaewon again, her thoughts wandering to the past days she spent with Chaewon when they were younger.

“You know, I remember thinking that I wanted us to fight,” she started. “I expected us to fight along the way because I knew all couples go through it. It's kind of morbid, now that I think about it. I thought that if we fought, I would see you cry, and if I saw you being vulnerable to me, that meant you trusted me. 

“But we never did fight. And I never saw you cry when we were together.”

Minju sighed wistfully, remembering how she felt dejected because of Chaewon’s silence.

“If anything, it just made me feel that you were being distant. It made me think that I must have done something wrong.”

She turned to Chaewon who still had her eyes closed, feeling her heart get worn down even more by the sight of her crying.

How many times must she still watch Chaewon cry?

She doesn’t want to see it anymore.

“But I guess there's a first for everything, huh?” she said.

Minju raised both of her hands to gently hold both of Chaewon’s cheeks. She then started moving her thumbs against the skin of her cheeks to wipe the tears on the older girl’s face. 

Chaewon just let her do that, still with her eyes closed but not moving away.

“Technically, it's not the first time I see you crying,” Minju said. “You cried when you confessed to me way back in high school, and you've been crying since last night, after all. And I'm not going to tell you to stop crying, not because I'm having fun watching you cry.”

Chaewon let out a snort in the middle of what was supposed to be a sniffle, prompting Minju to chuckle, one that wasn’t laced with sadness for once. She continued to talk to her, her thumbs still on Chaewon's cheeks.

“You thanked me before because I trusted you again, despite everything. I'm asking you to do the same.

“Please trust me the same way I trust you, Chaewon-unnie.”

Chaewon nodded her head that was still in Minju’s hands still having her eyes shut, pushing out the tears that kept on falling. The younger couldn’t help herself anymore; she pulled Chaewon in towards her and hugged her tight, not failing to notice the other girl slowly wrapped her arms around her.

(Minju also noticed how Chaewon didn’t hesitate to hug her back anymore, although she still moved gingerly.)

“Thank you, Minju,” Chaewon whispered against the younger’s shoulder.

“Always, unnie,” Minju replied. 

They held one another in each other’s arms for a while, basking in the comfort they bring to each other in the middle of the silence the house brought. It wasn’t the kind of silence that was overbearing like before, rather it brought them a sense of peace, after finally getting the closure the two of them yearned for.

Minju didn’t want to risk disrupting the calm air around them, but she wanted to take a chance on lightening up the mood. 

“Are you gonna fall asleep on me again, unnie?” she said in jest.

She heard Chaewon give out a chuckle before moving away from her.

“Not today,” the older replied, rubbing a finger on the corner of her eye to get out any of the remaining tears.

(Minju did her best to hide the disappointment that she felt when Chaewon moved away from her, bringing along the warmth she gave off.)

Chaewon took a deep breath and gave Minju a smile.

“Thanks again, I feel a lot better.”

“Anytime.”

Chaewon cleared her throat, fidgeting in her seat as she struggled to say her next words. 

“Anyway uh, I have to go make a call,” she said. 

“Oh,” Minju said in light surprise, her eyes blinking. “Sure, go ahead.”

Chaewon just looked at the younger girl directly, her face a little intense before speaking again. 

“Listen, uh…” she said, letting out an exhale. “I’m gonna be sorting myself out starting with this call and… I know you have a lot of thinking to do about what just happened but… uh…”

Minju watched Chaewon stammer on her words, trying to keep herself from letting out a giggle on how cute the older girl was being.

“Go on,” she urged her.

Chaewon took another deep breath. 

“...Could you stay here for a while?”

Minju looked at her questioningly. “‘Here’, as in…?”

“Here, in the living room,” Chaewon answered. “I'm kinda... gonna need you for something.”

“Oh…” Minju said, blinking. “Okay.”

“Thanks,” Chaewon said with a smile, her gaze on the younger girl turning soft. She reached out a hand to gently pinch Minju on the cheek. “In the meantime, you go ahead and sort yourself out, too.”

Chaewon stood up, grabbed her phone from the coffee table in front of the couch, and went out of the glass sliding doors that led to the pool area, leaving Minju alone in the living room. She sat down by one of the outdoor tables near the poolside, her fingers already pressing on her phone’s screen a few times before finally pressing the call button, setting it up while it rang. She heard a click as the call connected and saw a woman flash on the screen.

She immediately gave off a smile at the woman on the screen, who looked too much in bewilderment.

_ “My god,” _ the woman said.  _ “Am I seeing a ghost right now?” _

Chaewon chuckled. “You can say that.”

The woman leaned back on her seat, smiling back at Chaewon. 

_ “Long time no see, Chaewon.” _

“Long time no see. How have you been, Yeonhee?”

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju was washing the dishes while lost in thought, dwelling on Chaewon’s story that she opened up about a while back. She didn't exactly know what to feel about it yet; she already felt angry at what happened, but she also realized that it would be useless if she continued to mope about it since it already happened and it wouldn’t do her any good if she did. Still, the spite she felt for her parents grew more, fueling her desire to not have anything to do with them anymore. 

(Although she knows deep inside that ghosting her parents was wrong.)

She decided to leave that thought for now and focus on Chaewon along with the new relationship she has with her. She'll take care of the older girl for now, because she knew that if they switched places, Chaewon would do the same for her without hesitation. 

Chaewon has been taking care of her already since the first day, anyway.

“Min.”

Minju turns around and halts herself from washing the dishes, seeing Chaewon’'s head pop inside from the slightly-opened sliding door.

“Yeah?”

“Could you come here for a sec? I'd like you to meet someone,” said Chaewon.

Minju washed her hands and shook them dry, grabbing a towel nearby to wipe any of the remaining water from them. She walked towards the older girl and followed her outside, sitting down beside her on the table, spotting the propped-up phone.

“Yeonhee,” Chaewon called out to who she was talking to. “I'd like you to meet Minju.”

The woman on the phone flashed a smile directed at the younger girl.  _ “Nice to meet you, Minju-ssi. I'm Doctor Kim Yeonhee, Doctor Chaewon's psychologist.” _

Minju was taken aback; she didn’t really think that Chaewon had her own therapist. 

“O-Oh, hello. Nice to meet you, Doctor Kim,” she said with a slight bow of her head.

_ “Please, just Yeonhee is alright. The only person who should be addressed as a doctor is the person beside you, after all,” _ Yeonhee said in jest.

Chaewon scoffed at her. “Nonsense. Anyway,” she said, standing up. “I'll leave you two just as you said.”

_ “Alright, Chaewon. Don't forget our arrangement, okay?” _

Chaewon said nothing, just opting to hold up a pinky finger towards Yeonhee. Minju saw how Yeonhee held up her own pinky finger at Chaewon as well. She then watched Chaewon walk back inside the house, leaving Minju alone with the woman on the phone.

_ “So, I just have a few questions for you, Minju-ssi,” _ Yeonhee started. Minju then fidgeted in her seat, listening attentively to her.  _ “Chaewon told me about your relationship together, both from the past and the present. I was just wondering how you guys are doing right now?” _

“Mm, we’re good, I guess,” Minju said, her lips pursing in thought. “Earlier, we uh… cleared up some misunderstandings that we still had from our relationship back then. As for what we are right now, I’d say we’re…

“Friends.”

_ That’s right, we’re friends. Only with the weirdest relationship ever. _

_ “I can imagine,” _ Yeonhee said after chuckling, her eyes disappearing behind her cat-like eyelids when her smile reached them.  _ “Chaewon feels the same way, but she’s still thankful to you for giving her another chance.” _

Minju didn’t know she said her thoughts out loud, but Yeonhee’s reply to her gave her some peace of mind, even if the answer didn’t come from Chaewon herself.

“Say, Yeonhee-ssi,” Minju said. “How did you meet Chaewon-unnie?”

_ “Oh, me, her and Eunbi-unnie all went to school together,”  _ she said.  _ “My class of psychology seniors was interning at the psychiatric ward and so was Chaewon’s class of medical students, so we met there. I met Eunbi-unnie when the hospital went on a big blowout and went drinking with the interns and the residents at the time.” _

“So I’m guessing you’re good friends with Chaewon-unnie even when she’s not on your couch?” Minju asked, humor tinting her tone.

Yeonhee grinned at the younger girl’s wording.  _ “Of course. We’ve known each other for a few years now.” _

Minju nodded. It gave her some security to know that Yeonhee was one of Chaewon’s few trusted friends, and she knew that she could trust her words.

_ “Which brings me to my next question,” _ the psychologist then said.  _ “Chaewon wanted to ask if it was okay for you to, for the lack of better words, ‘look after her’ while both of you are there.” _

Minju raised an eyebrow at her request. “Like a guardian or something? Why can’t she ask me herself?”

_ “This isn’t only coming from her, Minju-ssi,” _ Yeonhee answered the counter.  _ “I’d like to ask of you this as well. Chaewon… doesn’t really trust herself to be left alone right now, or else she’s gonna regress, or go back to her harmful habits. Usually, the job is left to Eunbi-unnie, but well, she can’t really do that right now. She was the one who actually told me to bring this up to you, and Chaewon herself agreed. _

_ “Maybe she’s still shy to ask you this, but I think this is her first step on getting better and opening up to more people.” _

_ This is me trusting you. _

Minju could hear Chaewon’s voice in her head telling her that.

_ “There isn’t much I’m going to ask you to do, so no worries. All you’re gonna do is come talk to me after my and Chaewon’s weekly sessions,”  _ Yeonhee said.

“Ah, the ‘arrangement’ that you said earlier,” Minju echoed.

_ “Yep,” _ the other girl replied.  _ “So how about it?” _

Minju crossed her arms, looking in the distance as she thought about her answer. Truth be told, she still had her reservations about being with Chaewon. Hell, if anything, she was still uneasy seeing her around. Nobody could blame her, the bitterness she carried for years was still there, and even if the both of them bared each other Minju still couldn’t help but still be on guard. 

She doesn’t even know if she has completely forgiven Chaewon for all the pain she caused her.

(She knows the answer was no.)

Still, she did say she was willing to give her another chance. 

She looked behind her, past the lightly-tinted glass sliding doors, and saw Chaewon by the opened fridge, chugging directly from a pitcher of cold water as if there was no tomorrow.

She grinned watching her; of course, the older girl would be that thirsty. She was a crying mess who had one too many bottles of alcohol last night.

She turned back to Yeonhee and gave her answer.

“Okay.”

_ “Great,” _ Yeonhee said with a smile.  _ “I’ll send over the consent form later through Chaewon.” _

“Wouldn’t that be some kind of breach of confidentiality or something because she’ll see it?”

_ “No, Chaewon wouldn’t read it,” _ the girl on the phone answered.  _ “As soon as she reads the email’s title she’ll give it to you immediately, I’ll make sure of it.” _

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it,” Minju answered back. 

_ “Any more questions, Minju-ssi?” _

“Hm, just one,” Minju answered. “I’ve read something about different theories applied during psychotherapy, so I was wondering what theory you’re using right now.”

_ “For Chaewon?” _ Yeonhee asked. She hummed in thought before answering.  _ “If I have to answer a specific one then… _

_ “Rogerian. She arrives at her own answers, all she needs is a little push.” _

_ And maybe a smack on the head, _ Minju thought.

_ “I suggest you read up on that, Minju-ssi. Chaewon would know exactly what you’re gonna do if ever you plan on doing something on your own, but there isn’t any harm in giving it a try. _

_ “The more people who are willing to help her, the better.” _

Those words struck Minju the most. Chaewon actually has people around her that will support her without any hesitation, and all the older girl needed to do was to realize this. Minju wants to be one of those people who will support her, despite their rocky relationship.

She told Yeonhee her thanks and ended the call, deciding to take heed of the psychologist’s words. Grabbing the phone on the table and locking the screen (Minju wasn’t a fan of snooping unless it was related to work), she saw Chaewon sitting on the couch with her head back and her eyes closed; she imagined the older girl must still be tired from last night’s events. She approached her and tapped her shoulder with the phone, which prompted Chaewon to open her eyes and lean away from the couch, turning to her.

“How was it?” Chaewon asked, retrieving the phone.

“It was nice,” Minju told her. “She gave me homework to do.”

Chaewon chuckled. “Yeonhee teaches undergrads part-time too, so she probably thought it was a good idea to give homework to everyone.”

Chaewon then gave out a yawn in front of Minju, in the exact way she used to do when she watched her all the time in the past: eyes closing, nose scrunching, the small sound she makes when she releases the air she drew in, all ending with a few sleepy blinks of the eyes.

Minju doesn’t know what to feel about still having Chaewon’s every feature memorized.

“You should go up and rest,” she said, dismissing the thought. “Take a nap or something.”

“Hm, maybe I should,” Chaewon said, her voice already drawling as she welcomed the thought of snuggling under the covers. “Any plans for dinner?”

“Feathers?” Minju asked.

Chaewon nodded, her eyelids drooping already. Minju smiled at her being a (cute, if she may be so bold to add) sleepyhead. 

“Alright, I’ll see you tonight?”

“Sure.”

  
  


\---

  
  


Yuri dragged Yena to what seemed like every corner of Deokjeokdo, from the mountains to the beaches. They went hiking up to Bijobong peak (with Yena fearing for her life again because she knew one misstep could lead to her certain death), and back down to take a stroll on the beach. Yena already went to all of these places with Minju, but she didn’t mind having a repeat, she was with Yuri after all.

There were a few things Yena realized when she spent time with Yuri: first was that she was incredibly out of shape. She spent years chasing people while lugging a huge camera around when she was still part of a news agency, and she still had a sorry excuse for what they call “stamina”. The second was that the more she talked to the younger girl who was the object of her affections, the more she felt herself falling deeper and deeper.

But there was something she noticed in Yuri’s eyes when they were up in the red pavilion in the peak. It was something she couldn’t quite put her finger on, and it only flashed through her eyes when she saw her looking at Incheon’s skyline, or the mainland that was in the distance.

Yena may look like she’s clueless all the time, but not everyone knew that there was a hidden sharpness in her. Maybe it was innate, or maybe it had to do with her experience being on the field, but she could tell people held stories in them that their eyes could already tell way before their mouths could.

To her, Yuri was the same.

When Yena glanced at the younger girl, she saw her eyes filled with something that looked like longing, probably even hurt.

Whatever it was, Yena could best bet it was her reason on why she was in Deokjeokdo.

But it wasn’t her place to question Yuri. She would just have to support her in silence.

Telling her her feelings would have to come at another time.

They were on the beach now, Yuri walking a few paces after her. Yena brought out an instant film camera that she always had with her no matter wherever she went and held it up, one of her eyes looking through the viewfinder.

“Yuri-yah.”

Yuri turned around that instant and—

_ Flash. _

A click was heard, followed by the sound of the flash going off. The motor inside the camera then whirred, bringing out the printed image. Yena took it and flapped it around with a shake of her hand, drying it.

“What was that for, unnie?” Yuri asked, surprised.

Yena shook her head, smiling at her playfully. “Nothing, just a small keepsake.”

Yuri went closer and tried to snatch the photo from Yena’s hand, only for her attempt to be in vain as Yena raised up her hand above them, the photo in tow. Yuri pouted when Yena kept the photo from her, trying to reach up by standing on her tiptoes and even hopping. After a few more attempts, she sighed and moved away.

“Fine, don’t show it to me,” Yuri said, the pout still evident on her lips.

“A-Aw come on, I was just playing!” Yena said, this time it was her turn to pout. She looked at the image formed on the film and stashed it inside the small camera bag that she was wearing. “The photo turned out blurry, so how about I take another photo of you, one that’s a lot prettier, and I’ll give it to you?”

At this, Yuri’s eyes shone in excitement at Yena’s offer.

“Alright!” she said, holding Yena’s free hand and taking her to a spot to take pictures in, in which Yena was all too happy to oblige.

(The photo she first took wasn’t blurry at all; it caught Yuri in the perfect frame that Yena thought it was something she would keep for herself. It was a bit creepy, she knew, but if the time came, and that was a big  _ if _ , that Yuri said yes, then she’ll show it to her.)

  
  


\---

  
  


That evening, a thunderstorm came and doused every bit of the island in a strong rain shower.

The night has fallen and the moon has long hung itself up in the sky, but it was hiding behind the thick clouds along with the stars, coating everything in a darkness that even the distant lights that dotted the island couldn’t escape from. 

Chaewon and Minju found themselves just sitting on the couch in silence while the heavy rain kept on pouring. They were about to head out for dinner when the first drops fell, and it didn’t take long for the downpour to follow. The two were halted in their steps, in a state of complete bewilderment on how the weather changed as fast as lightning.

They noticed a flash strike through the darkness coming from the outside, and in a few seconds, they heard the familiar clap of thunder.

There was literal  _ lightning _ in the weather tonight.

“So much for dinner at Feathers,” Chaewon muttered out loud.

Minju still found the humor in their situation, letting out a chuckle. “How about we have dinner here instead? Nako  _ did _ make us some food earlier.”

“Ah right. Looks like we can still enjoy Nako’s cooking even without coming down to the bistro,” Chaewon said. She stood up from the couch and tilted her head towards the kitchen, inviting Minju to start preparing their food. They were in the middle of setting plates when Minju heard Chaewon say something that brought a bigger smile on her face.

“All we need now is to set the lighting and turn some music up, and then it’ll feel like Feathers.”

“An over-the-top version of it, at least,” Minju said, looking around the vast house they were in; its first floor already looked like it was probably ten times bigger than the humble bistro that always found itself packed to its edges. 

She thought it was nice that Chaewon was already somewhat comfortable enough to joke around with her in their private moments, the older girl only ever shows her humor when they were with other people.

They sat down across each other by the kitchen island again and after saying thanks as usual, they started eating while falling into casual conversation.

  
  


\---

  
  


“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Chaewon found the situation she was currently in as… weird.

Minju invited her to come to her room that night when they were washing the dishes. She didn’t know what to expect because it was all too sudden, but she had a reason to come to her room even without her asking anyway; Yeonhee sent her an ominous e-mail that had Minju’s name on it.

So with her tablet (and a stylus, Yeonhee specifically told her to do so) in tow, she mustered up all of her remaining courage and went inside Minju’s room. She saw the girl sitting on her bed as soon as she entered the room, and that was where they were now.

Everything was quiet.

Everything was  _ awkward _ .

“Oh, uh…” Chaewon started. “Yeonhee sent you something.”

She came closer to the younger girl and handed over the tablet and the stylus, the window to her inbox already opened.

Minju saw the first e-mail at the top of the list still had its title in bold letters, indicating that it wasn’t opened beforehand. Reading the title, Minju tried to suppress her laugh by how the psychologist worded it.

_ To: Kim Minju-nim. Kim Chaewon absolutely DO NOT open! _

She pressed the e-mail open and read the message that told her what it was about. She then pressed the attached file on it and a PDF file opened, which contained a cover letter as well as the consent form she was supposed to sign. After reading the file thoroughly, she pressed the option to sign on the file and wrote her signature on the indicated space. She then saved it and made sure to close the windows before handing the devices back to Chaewon.

“I’m not allowed to ask, am I…?” Chaewon timidly told her.

Minju shook her head. “Sorry, it’s confidential.”

Chaewon then nodded, her silence coming back as she shifted in her steps.

“So… What did you need me here for?” the older girl asked.

“Oh! U-Uh…” It was Minju’s turn to stutter. 

She did as Yeonhee told her and did some reading, coming up with her own plan of helping Chaewon to get better. She realized what she was about to do was actually fairly easy, but since it was Chaewon, who literally makes a living out of reading people, it was probably going to be quite a difficult task.

Still, she wanted to do her best for her, and she was stubborn that way.

“Come sit here,” Minju said, moving to the other side of the bed and leaning on the headboard.

Chaewon raised an eyebrow at her.

“What?”

“J-Just sit,” Minju said, her voice trembling. She was getting more embarrassed by the second.

Chaewon just continued to look at her, her eyebrows creasing while her mind was already forming questions. Then, Minju saw a flash of realization in her eyes, and her face contorted into an unamused look.

“...Yeonhee put you up to this, didn’t you?” Chaewon said. “Probably even Eunbi-unnie.”

_ Fuck, she saw right through me. _

At that moment, Minju thought that Chaewon, who had the ability to read minds, was definitely  _ scary _ .

She still soldiered on.

“ _ Please _ sit down,” Minju mumbled.

Chaewon frowned at her, keeping her unamused face while deep inside she was trying to hold herself back from laughing. She did as she was told and sat down on the mattress beside the younger girl with a pillow separating them, her eyes looking straight in front of her while her back was straight against the headboard, and her hands folded on her lap.

If it was even possible, the whole situation got even weirder and more awkward.

Minju felt like she wanted out, and Chaewon wanted nothing more than to run away.

The younger girl cleared her throat, forcing herself to calm down. She repeatedly told herself that if she wanted to help Chaewon, she needed to do this. She forced down the lump in her throat and spoke again.

“So, uh… Let’s… talk.”

Chaewon’s frown went deeper, her eyes moving to look at the girl beside her. “Talk about…?”

“T-Things…” Minju said, struggling to find words. “Like… you know…”

And an idea came to her; the younger girl took in a deep breath and turned her head slightly, putting Chaewon in her view.

“Telling me about your day.”

Chaewon met her gaze then, their eyes locked in place trying to search one another for something that they don’t readily show outwardly. In her eyes, Chaewon saw honesty and kindness which were so raw and were so particularly  _ hers _ . It was something she already expected to see from someone like Minju; she saw it from different other people, too.

But there was something else in those warm brown eyes that seemed so eerily familiar.

A spark.

Chaewon saw a spark appear in those eyes for the shortest span of time; just a mere flicker that lasted even shorter than a glimpse.

Deep inside her beaten-down heart, Chaewon knew what it was.

And maybe that was why she decided to give Minju a chance, easing up and allowing herself to let the worn-down walls get dismantled even by just a single brick.

“Okay,” she said, giving Minju a small nod.

She relaxed her shoulders a bit and folded up her legs, sitting cross-legged on the bed. 

Minju handed her a pillow then, saying that it was to “hide if she wanted to”. Chaewon took it, smiling at her in gratitude, before wrapping her arms around it and leaning on it, her face half-hidden behind the white cover.

And then they started.

“So,” Minju prompted. “How was your day, unnie?”

“Well, first off,” Chaewon said slowly, recollecting the events of the day. “I woke up next to my ex-girlfriend with a massive hangover, feeling like absolute shit.”

Minju grinned at how Chaewon decided to refer to her, finding her humor in it. She shifted in her seat to turn her body so she could face Chaewon better, completely engaged in what the older girl was saying.

The young doctor then continued telling her what happened that day in her own perspective, all the way until the moment they were currently in. Minju enjoyed hearing her story because of the way she told it; her voice was quiet as she was still withdrawn, but the words she used and how she spoke them, how her eyebrows moved and her eyes lit up, all these movements made her reminisce about all those moments from the past where they could just spend the day together talking about anything.

Ah, that’s right. This was exactly how it was before.

“You forgot about the most important thing, though,” Minju voiced out, cutting through her own thoughts just as Chaewon finished talking. “How do you feel about everything that happened today? And I want you to be honest, okay.”

Chaewon regarded her with inquisitive eyes again; Minju can never get used to how she looks at her these days as if she’s gauging whatever she was gauging, all the while reading the very core of her soul.

“...Well,  _ Doctor _ Kim,” Chaewon replied after a while, her tone with a hint of playful mockery. “I think today had my emotions all over the place… and my heart.”

Chaewon looked down on the mattress, her eyes unfocused as she gave Minju a small smile. “I still have a lot of things to work on, especially on how I still hesitate to talk about my feelings. But… I don’t know, I always seem to find myself tight-lipped when it comes to you.

“I kind of envy my ex-girlfriend in this regard. My ex-girlfriend; who always wears her heart on her sleeve, who always knows what to say and is really good with words, who I think grew even more stubborn after years of not seeing her.”

Minju smiled at Chaewon, this time thinking that it was nice to see Chaewon being comfortable enough to joke with her like this. She realized that maybe what she was doing with her was right, and that there was still progress to help her get better, no matter how small it was.

“You think if I keep spending time with her I’ll be as open as she is?” Minju heard Chaewon ask. “Although, I do have to admit that my ex-girlfriend’s stubbornness is a bit annoying.”

Minju scoffed right then and there, finding Chaewon’s statements about her both slightly offending and funny at the same time.

“I hope you know that your  _ ex-girlfriend _ finds your brooding ass annoying as well,” Minju said, shaking her head at her. She saw Chaewon give out a giggle. “But don’t worry, I think all she needs you to do is to keep talking honestly with her.”

“Mm,” Chaewon murmured, nodding against the pillow. “I think I can do that.”

Chaewon reached out to cover one of Minju’s hand laying on the pillow placed between them and gently curled her fingers under it, holding it softly to convey her sincerity.

“I’ll just have to do my best for the both of us.”

Chaewon sighed, closing her eyes for a bit and allowing the feeling of satisfaction wash over her. The list of reasons to thank Minju is getting longer and longer these days; the fact that the younger girl was willing to take things slow each for their own sake was another thing to be grateful for.

“What about you, Min?” Chaewon asked, turning her head towards her. “What do you think of today?”

Minju sighed, leaning back on the headboard and looking up at the ceiling. She had been sorting out her own feelings about everything and Chaewon for a few days already, and until now, she still had no clear answer for it. 

“To be honest, I still don’t know where I stand in all of this,” she said, her voice small but loud enough for the girl beside her to hear it. Chaewon said nothing; she just continued to listen to her. “I know I’m still hurt by everything that happened in the past, especially the ones that involved my ex-girlfriend.”

But today was different. 

“But today was different,” she said. “When you finally told me the truth about why we broke up, there was something about finally having closure that gave me a feeling of… contentment. Like I finally know I wasn’t at fault for anything and I did nothing wrong. I was finally able to get mad at the people who I needed to get mad at, and to vent out my frustrations that I didn’t have the chance to let go even after all these years… all because I didn’t know the truth.”

Minju paused a bit and blinked, gathering her thoughts once more.

“But most importantly, I realized one thing. And that was how I want to stay by your side and to see you get better, because I can personally see for myself that you’re trying your best to make up for your past mistakes.

“And for some selfish reason, knowing that I had a hand in making you better gives me some sort of satisfaction for myself.”

Wordlessly, Minju turned the hand that Chaewon was holding, her palm upside. She then covered Chaewon’s hand with her other hand and gently squeezed it; the action felt like it gave her reassurance more than the one whose hand was being held.

“So I’m going to do my best too, for myself and for you, Chae-unnie. Because I know you’ll do the same if we switched places. Hell, you’ve always been doing it. You shielded me from my parents being problematic which ended up with us splitting, and I know you’re still gonna do it now.”

Without meaning to, Minju started playing with Chaewon’s fingers, noting how the skin was as soft and supple to the touch as it was from before. She didn’t know why she started doing it; it was like one of the memories buried deep within the nerves of the muscles that when triggered, the action springs to life as if it was as natural as breathing.

Chaewon didn’t seem to mind. She even started moving her fingers slightly to match with the movement of Minju’s own. It looked like the subtle action was the same for her.

Minju’s eyes were on their hands now, but she knew it was just a distraction because the mere mention of her parents disturbed her. She wanted her mind off of them as much as possible and just focused on where she was and who she was with during the present.

And Chaewon felt that.

“Min, your parents…”

“Shh.”

Minju shushed her softly without looking at her. She didn’t want to think about the people she left behind, much less  _ talk _ about them. She spoke again, her voice almost silent.

“Let’s not talk about them right now.”

Chaewon looked at the younger girl for a while before nodding. “Okay.”

Minju looked up then to meet Chaewon’s eyes, giving her a genuine smile that told her how thankful she was without actually speaking.

(Chaewon thought that one smile could make up for the hidden bright lights on that rainy night and light up the whole place. But she doesn’t have the courage to say that yet, nor was it appropriate at the moment.)

The younger girl then suggested they talked about something else, something more lighthearted, and that was how they started talking about movies they have seen recently. From that point, they naturally fell into a rhythm of conversation where they talked about everything that came to mind, even the most random and mundane things.

Just like how they did before.

The rain hammered against every surface of the house that night, harsh and unrelenting, but for some reason, the room was peaceful, quiet, solemn. They didn’t realize that with everything they did, it was the first step of taking out the bricks of each other’s walls one by one until they built a safe haven for themselves. 

A sanctuary where it was only the two of them.

Even in the worst of weather, Chaewon and Minju knew they were going to be okay.

  
  


\---

  
  


Minju forced Chaewon to take the Monday off as soon as the weekend ended.

When Chaewon asked her why, outright confusion written all over her small face, all the younger girl told her was that apparently she was doing “way too many Herculean things” that she had no time to have actual rest, to which Chaewon had no response because it was the truth. Although she felt somehow downhearted that she had to say goodbye to a lot of the people she met while doing all these things, she also knew that she had to let go of them for her own sake.

“ _ Except _ ,” Chaewon rebutted during breakfast, emphasizing on the word. “The daycare and the health center.”

“Alright,” Minju agreed.

“...And the hospital ship every month.”

Minju frowned.

“...Please?”

Minju sighed.

“Fine,” the younger girl said, shaking her head.

Chaewon inwardly did a fist pump, proud of herself for winning the negotiation.

“You start saying goodbye today,” Minju suddenly said.

Chaewon dropped her spoon and looked at her slack-jawed, meanwhile, she just continued eating.

  
  


\---

  
  


When they arrived at Feathers to have lunch, they spotted Yena sitting in one of the booths, writing in a notebook beside the bowl she was eating from while chewing her food on one side of her mouth. They approached her to greet her, and with her usual enthusiastic self Yena offered to share the table with her. They placed their order when a waiter came by to take them, and engaged in conversation with Yena while waiting for their food.

“How’s the film going, Yena-unnie?” Minju asked, sitting beside the aspiring filmmaker.

“I’m just writing scenes right now. I didn’t want to bring my laptop here so I’m using the old trusty pen and paper,” the older girl said with a grin.

“‘Film’?” Chaewon asked from across them.

“She’s making her first film,” Minju answered.

“Oh, then I’ll make sure to watch it when it comes out,” Chaewon said with a smile.

“Hey, that’s my line,” Minju said.

Yena faked a sniff, dropping her pen to wipe nonexistent tears in her eyes. “I can’t believe I already have fans.”

Chaewon and Minju laughed at her, giving her words of encouragement before shifting into other topics. The food arrived midway through them having a talk about current events; despite leaving the news field (at least temporarily, for the youngest of the three), Minju and Yena couldn’t really stop themselves from being journalists no matter where they go nor what they were currently doing. Yena had bites here and there despite finishing her own food a while ago, with Minju even feeding her with a spoon.

(Chaewon just watched them bickering about a politician running for parliament that she didn’t really catch the name of, and all she could think of while munching on her own food was that Minju’s eyes still lit up when she’s engaged in something she loved doing.)

They then changed the subject again and were now talking about the latest box office hits when someone who just entered the establishment caught Yena’s eye. She suddenly stopped talking and turned her head completely to look at the person, who stood out in the crowd too much because of their height and slender frame, even when they were wearing a cap that hid half their face as well as deeply-tinted sunglasses.

“Minju,” Yena mumbled, nodding her head to the person who just came in. The younger girl then looked at the direction Yena was pointing. Chaewon noticed this as well and slightly turned her back to look behind her.

Minju knew how to recognize people just by looking at their build and the clothes they wore; profiling was some sort of skill she developed as a reporter on the field. From the looks of it, the person looked like a female celebrity. 

Her mind clicked in recognition.

“That’s…”

In a quiet place such as this island, a single celebrity that was just visiting would be enough to create a large buzz, one that would attract people from the mainland to come immediately, their huge cameras in tow. That was why this person tried so hard to be unnoticed, unrecognizable; even if she was in the entertainment industry who seemed to feed on the attention given to them, the last thing she needed was nothing but.

Especially with someone else with her, someone who had the same caliber of her fame, although in a different field.

And that someone, similarly dressed in a cap and a mask, was in a wheelchair.

Minju frowned at the pair, who were now being escorted to an outdoor table by one of the waiters.

“It’s them, isn’t it?” she heard Yena ask from beside her.

“Yeah…” she muttered, her heart sinking.

“Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung.”


End file.
